National Parks Traveler Podcast | Great American Outdoors Act Reauthorization

National Parks Traveler Podcast | Great American Outdoors Act Reauthorization

Author: Kurt Repanshek August 11, 2024 Duration: 52:25

It's hard to believe, but it's been four years since Congress passed the Great American Outdoors Act and President Trump signed it into law. Under that legislation, the National Park Service has been receiving $1.3 billion a year to pay for tackling the National Park System's maintenance backlog.

When the Great American Outdoors Act was passed, it was given a five-year life. That means it will have to be reauthorized next year to keep the program going. It's had wide-ranging impacts, paying for things like roadwork on the Blue Ridge Parkway, new bridges at Yellowstone National Park, improved campgrounds in the park system, and new interpretation.

But will the GAOA get renewed, and what's the process to get there? To examine the benefits of the legislation, and talk about the steps being taken to reauthorize the legislation, we're joined today by Eric Stiles, president and CEO of Friends of Acadia, Kristen Brengel, the senior vice president for government affairs at the National Parks Conservation Association, and Phil Francis, chair of the Coalition to Protect America's National Parks. 


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…