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Nature is an incredibly powerful and successful teacher. Of course, students need teachers to deliver the lessons. That’s where Residential Environmental Learning Centers come into play in national parks.

Organizations like NatureBridge, the Cuyahoga Valley Institute, the Yellowstone Institute, the Great Smoky Mountains Institute. And the North Cascades Institute. These nonprofit organizations use national parks as their classrooms.

Lynn Riddick talks with Saul Weisberg to understand how the North Cascades Institute teaches children well.

After her conversation, we question why the National Park Service is making substantial funding cuts and programmatic changes to the highly regarded and successful Sea Turtle Science and Recovery program at Padre Island National Seashore.

:02 National Parks Traveler introduction
:12 Episode introduction with Kurt Repanshek
1:24 Vista Verde - Tim Heintz - The Sounds of Peaks, Plateaus and Canyons
2:07 A conversation with North Cascades Institute Executive Director Saul Weisberg
30:04 Wonder Lake - Various Artists - The Spirit of Alaska
30:21 National Parks Traveler promotion
30:34 Friends of Acadia promotion
31:03 Grand Teton National Park Foundation promotion
31:34 Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation promotion
32:01 North Cascades Institute interview with Saul Weisberg continues
39:26 Almost Home - Randy Petersen - The Sounds of the Great Smoky Mountains
39:51 Washington’s National Park Fund promotion
40:25 North Cascades Institute promotion
40:51 Commentary: Why reduce funding and programming of the sea turtle science program at Padre Island National Seashore?
44:23 Caribbean Song - Tim Heintz - The Sounds of the Everglades
44:45 Episode Closing
45:38 Orange Tree Productions promotion
46:14 National Parks Traveler footer

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Wolverines, the largest land-dwelling members of the weasel family, once roamed across the northern tier of the United States, and as far south as New Mexico in the Rockies and southern California in the Sierra Nevada range. But after more than a century of trapping and habitat loss, wolverines in the lower 48 today exist only as small, fragmented populations in Idaho, Montana, Washington, Wyoming, and northeast Oregon.

April 21st, 2024 - Read More

Spur a discussion about traveling to a national park for a vacation and odds are that it will revolve around getting out into nature, looking for wildlife, perhaps honing your photography skills, or marveling at incredible vistas.
Will the discussion include destinations that portray aspects of the country’s history, or cultural melting pot? 

April 14th, 2024 - Read More

Tens of millions of people in the United States will be able to witness a Total Solar Eclipse on Monday as the rare astronomical event cuts a path from Texas to Maine, up to 122 miles wide in some spots. This is a great opportunity to see the exact moment when the moon fully blocks the sun, creating a blazing corona visible to those observing from the center line of totality.

April 7th, 2024 - Read More

With March madness down to the Sweet 16, and Opening Day of Major League Baseball having arrived, we’re going to take a break this week and dive into our podcast archives for this week’s show.
 
This is Kurt Repanshek, your host at the National Parks Traveler. My NCAA bracket was busted the very first day, and while the Yankees won their opening day game against the Houston Astros, I don’t think they’ll go undefeated this year.
 

March 31st, 2024 - Read More

One of the most popular public events in the National Park System was the release of sea turtle hatchlings, shuffling off into the Gulf of Mexico at Padre Island National Seashore. I say was, because the number of those public events has been drastically scaled back in recent years.

March 24th, 2024 - Read More

The Essential RVing Guide

The Essential RVing Guide to the National Parks

The National Parks RVing Guide, aka the Essential RVing Guide To The National Parks, is the definitive guide for RVers seeking information on campgrounds in the National Park System where they can park their rigs. It's available for free for both iPhones and Android models.

This app is packed with RVing specific details on more than 250 campgrounds in more than 70 parks.

You'll also find stories about RVing in the parks, some tips if you've just recently turned into an RVer, and some planning suggestions. A bonus that wasn't in the previous eBook or PDF versions of this guide are feeds of Traveler content: you'll find our latest stories as well as our most recent podcasts just a click away.

So whether you have an iPhone or an Android, download this app and start exploring the campgrounds in the National Park System where you can park your rig.