National Parks Traveler Podcast | Coastal Climate Change Impacts

National Parks Traveler Podcast | Coastal Climate Change Impacts

Author: Kurt Repanshek July 14, 2024 Duration: 50:53

Along 1,600 miles of the Eastern Seaboard, from Maine to Florida, sea level rise, subsidence, and more potent storms are challenging the National Park Service to figure out how best to protect wildlife and their habitats, as well as historic structures, archaeological sites, modern infrastructure, landscapes, and, of course, visitors.
In the coming months, the National Parks Traveler will be examining impacts tied to climate change and how the National Park Service is responding to them. We'll bring you the concerns of residents and communities that are left with the damage from hurricanes and the loss of tax revenues from tourism and trace the strain these events have on the Park Service staff and budget.
We'll also talk to experts about how natural landscapes, such as barrier reefs and salt marshes, and wildlife are being impacted. We're going to have one of those conversations today with two experts from The Nature Conservancy: Dr. Alison Branco, TNC's Climate Adaptation Director, and Dr. Nicole Maher, the organization's Senior Coastal Scientist.


There's a world of stories waiting beyond the park entrance sign, and the National Parks Traveler Podcast is your audio guide to them. Led by Kurt Repanshek, this series goes deeper than trail maps and visitor statistics. It connects the natural wonder you experience firsthand with the crucial, often unseen work happening behind the scenes-the science informing conservation, the cultural histories embedded in the landscape, and the policy decisions that will shape these places for future generations. As the audio companion to the editorially independent nonprofit media organization, this podcast delivers a thoughtful blend of on-the-ground reports, interviews with researchers and park staff, and nuanced discussions about the challenges and triumphs in managing protected areas. You'll hear the sounds of the parks and the voices of the people dedicated to them. Each episode is an invitation to better understand the complex tapestry of ecology, history, and society that makes every national park far more than a scenic destination. Tune in for a regular dose of insight that will deepen your appreciation and perhaps even shape your next journey into America's most treasured public lands.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 100

National Parks Traveler Podcast
Podcast Episodes
National Parks Traveler Podcast | Government Shutdown Blues [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 44:37
We've made it past Labor Day. Which means fall colors in some parts of the country aren't too far off, seasonal wildlife migrations are getting under way, and summertime crowds in the national park system have thinned ou…
National Parks Traveler Podcast | Bison Benefits [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 46:43
Once upon a time, there were tens of millions of bison on the North American continent. Today, there are somewhere between 400,000 and 500,000. Most are in commercial herds, with a relative few in private herds and on pu…
National Parks Traveler Podcast | Rare Phenomena in the Parks [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 48:11
It's been said that the night skies are the other half of the National Park System. And it only makes sense, for when you're in a park and the sun goes down you tend to look into the night sky to spot constellations or,…
National Parks Traveler Podcast | Keeping Glacier Bay's Whales Safe [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 42:18
Vessel-whale collisions are a significant concern in Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve, where nutrient-rich waters support a seasonal influx of humpback whales and other marine mammals. As one of the most visited ma…
National Parks Traveler Podcast | Nature is Nonpartisan [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 55:26
Is nature nonpartisan? Earlier this year we had an interview with Dr. Caleb Scoville from Tufts University, who received an Andrew Carnegie fellowship to explore whether environmental issues are highly partisan. It can c…
National Parks Traveler Podcast | El Camino Real de los Tejas [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:01:43
El Camino Real de Los Tejas is a network of trails that connected Spanish missions, settlements, and military outposts from Mexico through Texas and into Louisiana. Now a national historic trail, this road played a cruci…
National Parks Traveler Podcast | Theresa Pierno [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 45:13
The National Parks Conservation Association is almost as old as the National Park Service. The Service, as you probably know, was established in 1916, and NPCA came along three years later. Through the 106-year history o…
National Parks Traveler Podcast | The Future of Grizzly Bears [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 44:10
Grizzly bears. They define charismatic megafauna. Huge animals that draw both human admiration and fear. Once they roamed the entire country, though that was a long time ago. Today there are pockets of grizzly bear popul…
National Parks Traveler Podcast | Appalachian Trail Crowds [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 50:44
Running nearly 2,200 miles along the spine of the Appalachian Range from Georgia to Maine, the Appalachian National Scenic Trail arguably is the world's most famous long-distance trail. Some think it's also one that can…
National Parks Traveler Podcast | Intrepid Travel [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 41:04
Heading into the National Park System this summer? Going it alone, or have you booked a tour company? What do you think about how the Trump Administration and Congress are treating the National Parks and the National Par…