National Parks Traveler Podcast | Park Friends Under Pressure

National Parks Traveler Podcast | Park Friends Under Pressure

Author: Kurt Repanshek November 9, 2025 Duration: 1:00:40

The government shutdown has been record-setting in terms of its length. So, too, has been the time that many employees of the National Park Service have been furloughed without pay.

How has the shutdown affected the parks, and how have the friends groups that support the parks responded? We're going to discuss that today with Chris Lenhertz from the Golden Gate Conservancy, Jacki Harp from Smokies Life, Eric Stiles from Friends of Acadia, and Cassius Cash from the Yosemite Conservancy.


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 | Yellowstone Wolves at 30 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 43:11
There are sounds that wake you up out of a deep sleep, only to be dismissed as you fall back to sleep. And then there are sounds that rivet you, make you sit bolt upright. That was the type of sound that woke us while we…
National Parks Traveler Podcast | Threatened and Endangered Parks [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 50:17
We're five days into 2025, and already there's a lot of news concerning national parks and the National Park Service. Traveler Editor-in-Chief Kurt Repanshek is joined today by Contributing Editor Kim O'Connell to discus…
National Parks Traveler Podcast | A Walk in the Park [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:07:47
Many of us like to take a walk in our favorite national park, whether it's a short stroll down one of the boardwalks at Yellowstone National Park, the hike to the top of Old Rag at Shenandoah National Park, or up the Mis…
National Parks Traveler Podcast | The Elephant Seals of Point Reyes [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 46:05
Elephant seals are not your small, cuddly marine mammals. They are behemoths. Males, known as bulls, can reach 5,000 pounds, while females, known as cows, routinely clock in at around 1,000 pounds or so. If you're a wild…
National Parks Traveler Podcast | Into the Thaw [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 42:17
Most, if not all of us, have bucket lists. Places we want to visit…but don't always get the opportunity. This is Kurt Repanshek, your host at the National Parks Traveler. One of the destinations on my bucket list is Gate…
National Parks Traveler Podcast | Change Happens [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:00:15
Change happens…and sometimes it doesn't. Change certainly is underway in Washington, where the incoming Trump administration is putting its players in position with promises of changing, or maybe upsetting, the status qu…
National Parks Traveler Podcast | Omnibus Lands Bill [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 47:51
As the calendar runs down on the current session of Congress, there are a number of pieces of legislation that would involve or possibly impact the National Park System if they find their way into an omnibus lands bill t…
National Parks Traveler Podcast | Wildlife at Play [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 44:29
Humans like to play, right? We play cards, we play baseball and basketball, we go fishing or take a hike into the mountains. It's our play time, time to recharge, refocus, relax. Did you know animals like to play, too? A…