National Parks Traveler Podcast | Walt Dabney and Public Lands

National Parks Traveler Podcast | Walt Dabney and Public Lands

Author: Kurt Repanshek May 4, 2025 Duration: 56:35

It's fair to say that the nation's public lands, those managed by the National Park Service, the Bureau of Land Management, the U.S. Forest Service and other federal land-management agencies are at risk under the Trump administration.

There's no hyperbole in that statement if you pay attention to what the administration already has done in terms of downsizing those agencies' workforces, and when you listen to Interior Secretary Doug Burgum say he wants to open more public lands to energy development and mining.

Federal lands in the United States are owned by all Americans, but at various times there have been efforts to wrench those lands away from the government to give to the states or sell off.

Walt Dabney spent his professional career protecting public lands during his decades-long stint with the National Park Service and then as director of the Texas State Parks. Now he is working to educate Americans on their vested interest in those lands and what could be lost if Congress or the White House tries to get rid of them. 


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 | Revisiting the ESA [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 44:54
To put some perspective on the National Parks Travelers' monthslong coverage of threatened and endangered species, we're going to go back in time a bit today to replay a podcast in which we discussed the ESA — and possib…
National Parks Traveler Podcast | Florida Coral Reef Rescue [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 44:20
The Florida Reef stretches from Biscayne National Park south past Everglades National Park and down to Dry Tortugas National Park in Florida. It's roughly 350 miles long, and is the only coral reef in the continental Uni…
National Parks Traveler Podcast | Saving Whitebark Pines [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 37:21
Whitebark pines are a Western icon that the National Park Service has designated as a "vital sign" species because they are critical to ecosystem functions. But they are at risk of extinction due to climate change, beetl…
National Parks Traveler Podcast | Kemp's Ridley Sea Turtles [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 52:09
What is the fate of the critically endangered Kemp's Ridley Sea Turtle? This smallest of the sea turtle species glides among the sea grasses and coral reefs of the Gulf of Mexico, and nests predominantly along the shores…
National Parks Traveler Podcast | Yellowstone's North Entrance [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 47:17
During a typical summer day at Yellowstone National Park roughly 3,000 vehicles enter through the North Entrance and head down to Mammoth Hot Springs so their passengers can begin their park adventure. Up until June 2022…
National Parks Traveler Podcast | The Fate of the Honeycreeper [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 45:09
A dramatic battle is being waged on the flanks of Halealakā National Park to save rare Honeycreeper birds that exist only in Hawaii. It's believed that the 50-odd known living or extinct species of honeycreepers all evol…
National Parks Traveler Podcast | Year in Review [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 52:31
This year, 2025, likely will go down as the most transitional for the National Park Service. We've seen the loss of nearly a quarter of the permanent workforce, efforts to whitewash history in some parks, and the loss of…
National Parks Traveler Podcast | Historic Preservation in the Parks [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 39:27
A century of seasons has worn the appearance of the log cabin Roy Fure built in present-day Katmai National Park and Preserve in Alaska, but his care of the small cabin, and later National Park Service restoration effort…