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National Parks Traveler Podcast

297 episodes - English - Latest episode: 15 days ago - ★★★★★ - 102 ratings

National Parks Traveler is the world's top-rated, editorially independent, nonprofit media organization dedicated to covering national parks and protected areas on a daily basis.

Traveler offers readers and listeners a unique multimedia blend of news, feature content, debate, and discussion all tied to national parks and protected areas.

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Episodes

National Parks Traveler Podcast | Stone Road Press and The National Parks

July 16, 2023 12:00 - 50 minutes - 117 MB

There are seemingly endless guides to exploring the national parks: Moon, National Geographic, Lonely Planet, and various other corporate publishers. Indeed, it’s rare these days that you find a writer who takes on the role of both guidebook author and publisher.  Most of these guidebooks take the same approach: a nice overview of the park in question, followed by a breakdown of places to stay, where to eat, things to do, nearby attractions. Mike Oswald is swimming against the current with...

National Parks Traveler Podcast | Mobile-Tensaw River Delta Conservation

July 09, 2023 12:00 - 48 minutes - 112 MB

When you talk about expanding the National Park System, any expansion should be strategic. Whether it’s to protect a cultural or historical site, or one rich in natural resources. Today, if you want to protect natural resources, it should be done with an eye towards protecting biodiversity. There is too much at stake today to expand the National Park System just for the sake of adding units. The country is losing too much of nature to development, bird populations have been plummeting, and...

National Parks Traveler Podcast | The American Buffalo

July 02, 2023 12:00 - 1 hour - 147 MB

Once upon a time, there might have been 60 million bison on the North American continent. The herds were so large that they covered prairies like immense horizon-stretching black cloaks, and their annual migrations carved such wide paths into the landscape that some were turned into roads by human travelers.  As vast as bison herds were, the species came extremely close to extinction. By the end of the 19th century, there might have been two dozen bison left in the wilds, and they were dee...

National Parks Traveler Podcast | Summer Wildfire Outlook in the Park System

June 25, 2023 12:00 - 36 minutes - 84.2 MB

A winter heavy in snowfall has slowed the start to the wildfire season across parts of the West, although the return of the El Niño weather pattern in the Pacific Ocean could reverse that start and contribute to another smoky summer in the National Park System west of the Continental Divide. Climate change, coupled with the departure of the La Niña weather pattern over the Pacific Ocean and the arrival of the El Niño pattern, are making it more challenging to predict fire seasons and fire ...

National Parks Traveler Podcast | Expanding the National Park System

June 18, 2023 12:00 - 1 hour - 149 MB

There always seem to be calls to expand the National Park System. And those calls always spur a number of questions.  Why does the National Park System need to be expanded? What sites might be considered for expansion? Can we even afford to expand the system? After all, as the Traveler frequently points out, the National Park Service doesn’t have the resources in human capital or financial capital to properly manage the park units it has. There have been a number of stories recently in oth...

National Parks Traveler Podcast | Lost Hospitals and Underwater Graves at Dry Tortugas

June 11, 2023 12:00 - 40 minutes - 94.8 MB

You likely know that Dry Tortugas National Park houses Fort Jefferson, which served as a Civil War-era prison with a community for soldiers, civilians, and slaves.   Were you aware that hidden remnants of a hospital and graveyard have been found nearby — offshore — adding to the puzzle of life and death in the Civil War era?   Lynn Riddick dives into that topic with Joshua Marano, a maritime archaeologist for the National Park Service...

National Parks Traveler Podcast | Hidden National Park Gems

June 04, 2023 12:00 - 59 minutes - 137 MB

It’s summer. Not officially, but close enough. Many schools have already taken the next few months off, others will soon join the summer break. Summer for many is the peak travel time. Parks are a great destination, whether in summer or just about any other month of the year. To help you come up with some ideas of which parks to visit and why, we’ve invited two members of the Coalition to Protect America’s National Parks – Maria Burks and Phil Francis – who collectively have spent more tha...

National Parks Traveler Podcast | The Horses of Cumberland Island

May 28, 2023 12:00 - 46 minutes - 108 MB

Horses can be found in many corners of the National Park System. You spot them running wild at Theodore Roosevelt National Park in North Dakota, splashing in the surf at Cape Lookout National Seashore in North Carolina and at Assateague Island National Seashore in Maryland and Virginia, and of course as pack animals and tireless steeds that carry both rangers and visitors to the parks.   But wild horses are somewhat of a conundrum in the National Park System. They’re a conundrum because th...

National Parks Traveler Podcast | Yellowstone’s Gold and Cape Hatteras’s Shifting Sands

May 21, 2023 12:00 - 36 minutes - 84.7 MB

There are external and internal influences that can impact units of the National Park System. Urban sprawl can strangle parks and their natural resources. Wildfires can sweep across boundaries and into parks. Rivers can flood and wash out trails and roads, as we saw last June at Yellowstone National Park. Today we’re going to be talking about looming threats to Yellowstone and Cape Hatteras National Seashore.  In the case of Yellowstone, it’s a gold mine proposed to be sunk into a mounta...

National Parks Traveler Podcast | Debt Ceiling Crisis and the Parks

May 14, 2023 12:00 - 43 minutes - 101 MB

While spring is slowly giving way to summer in many parts of the country, with visitors gaining more and more access to the National Park System, a stand-off in Washington over the country’s debt ceiling very likely would greatly disrupt operations in the parks. It was just a decade ago that a federal budget sequestration, that is a forced cut across all federal agencies budgets as part of the Budget Control Act, led to closed campgrounds, Sunday closures of National Park System units, and 9...

National Parks Traveler Podcast | Jackson Hole Sustainable Destination Management Plan

May 07, 2023 12:00 - 47 minutes - 110 MB

National parks are not alone in grappling with crowds. Many gateway communities surrounding our national parks are notable for their own amazing offerings -- natural beauty with tranquil spots for solitude and reflection…and nice venues for dining, listening to live music and pursuing year-round outdoor recreational and leisure activities.  But when the management of visitation in these areas is unchecked, and the very resources that make these places highly desirable destinations are strain...

National Parks Traveler Podcast | The State of Yellowstone National Park

April 30, 2023 12:00 - 50 minutes - 117 MB

It's easy to take the status of national parks for granted. We read wonderful beckoning stories about them in magazines and newspapers. And we watch gorgeous travelogue pieces about them on television. But how much do we know about the operational status of the national parks? How much do we know about the health of the natural resources, the condition of historic structures, the state of the workforce that operates and manages the national parks? In short, we know really very little about...

National Parks Traveler Podcast | National Park Foundation CEO Will Shafroth

April 23, 2023 12:00 - 44 minutes - 103 MB

Across the National Park System, there are incredible sights that explore American history. There’s a robust mix of cultures reflected in the parks, and breathtaking vistas that, well, will take your breath away. But there also are seemingly countless needs, from backlogs of maintenance projects, interpretation for history, wildlife and science that needs to be crafted, and unique issues that can range from climate change impacts to helping inner city youth visit a park. Helping the Nati...

National Parks Traveler Podcast | The National Parks Cookbook

April 16, 2023 12:00 - 1 hour - 149 MB

Travel extensively through the National Park System, and you’ll quickly come to realize that the park’s restaurants try to reflect the local culinary trends, or at least use local ingredients in crafting their menus. For instance, visit national parks in Alaska and you can pretty much count on salmon in the dinner offerings. Travel through the parks in the Rocky Mountains, and elk (and sometimes bison) will appear on the menus. Explore parks in the southwest, and you can almost predict that ...

National Parks Traveler Podcast | Pruning the Parks

April 09, 2023 12:00 - 48 minutes - 111 MB

Over the years there have been more than a few units of the National Park System that have been head-scratchers. Why were they added? What redeeming value did they bring to the park system?  James Ridenour who was director of the National Park Service from 1989 through 1993, was well familiar with these units. As he once put it, “I’m in complete agreement that the National Park Service has units that are unworthy of National Park Service status. That was my motive for coining the term ‘thi...

National Parks Traveler Podcast | Campfire Stories

April 02, 2023 12:00 - 42 minutes - 96.5 MB

When warm weather spreads across the National Park System, many parks offer nightly gatherings around the campfire. The tradition of gathering around a flickering fire goes back thousands of years. Fire, after all, was the giver of light in the darkest of night, and seen as offering safety from what might lurk about in the dark. For the park visitor, nightly campfire gatherings are not about feeling safe from the darkness, but rather an opportunity to learn about the surrounding park lands...

National Parks Traveler Podcast | Glacier Bay Wolves

March 26, 2023 12:00 - 43 minutes - 100 MB

Coastal grey wolves in Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve in Alaska seem to be feasting well these days on an unlikely food source - sea otters. In fact, the shorelines of Glacier Bay offer wolves a cornucopia of otters and other marine menu items, providing this carnivorous predator safe and dependable locations for food and raising offspring. This week the Traveler’s Lynn Riddick speaks with park wildlife biologist Tania Lewis, whose research team is evaluation coastal wolf diets. Th...

National Parks Traveler Podcast | Ninety-Pound Rucksack, Part 2

March 19, 2023 12:00 - 45 minutes - 104 MB

How did America get hooked on skiing? In 1939, Hannes Schneider moved from Austria to North Conway, New Hampshire, to teach skiing. But before the sport really took off, World War II broke out. After the war, a gritty band of soldiers who fought in the US Army’s 10th Mountain Division, returned home into the mountains they loved.  Last week, Christian Beckwith, an alpinist and climbing historian, introduced us to the 10th Mountain Division and how it was jump-started by climbers who had ho...

National Parks Traveler Podcast | Ninety-Pound Rucksack, Part 1

March 12, 2023 12:00 - 50 minutes - 116 MB

How much do you know about World War II history, Grand Teton National Park, and the evolution of outdoor recreation in the United States? Believe it or not, they’re all intertwined.  Ninety-Pound Rucksack is a podcast about the U.S. Army’s legendary 10th Division, and the dawn of outdoor recreation in America. Hosted by veteran alpinist and climbing historian Christian Beckwith, Ninety-Pound Rucksack examines the stories that made the unit legendary, as well as those that history has forgo...

National Parks Traveler Podcast | What's Going On At Big Bend National Park

March 05, 2023 13:00 - 42 minutes - 98.7 MB

Big Bend National Park is not simply a park that you pass along the way. Located in West Texas along the US/Mexico border, this 1,252-square-mile park is five hours from the closest commercial airport. In other words, you must make Big Bend your final destination if you’re going to visit. You’re not going to just happen upon it as you drive down the road. But once here, you’re likely to be astounded by the ruggedness, the beauty of the Chisos Mountain Range that falls entirely within the par...

National Parks Traveler Podcast | Watch the Bear

February 26, 2023 13:00 - 55 minutes - 129 MB

Bears tend to scare us when we’re outdoors and they’re not behind steel bars. Particularly grizzly bears. They’re big, with sharp claws and powerful jaws, and seem to be in a bad mood whenever we spot them. We hear about people being mauled to death by bears, and even of black bears attacking campers in their sleeping bags.  Are bears really as terrifying as they appear? Or is our fear driven by a lack of understanding of their behavior? Derek Stonorov knows a little bit about bears and th...

National Parks Traveler Podcast | Gauging Western Views

February 19, 2023 13:00 - 38 minutes - 89.2 MB

For more than a decade, Colorado College has sponsored a poll to gauge conservation sentiments of residents in Colorado, Utah, New Mexico, Arizona, Idaho, Wyoming, Montana and Nevada. Over the years, the questions have ranged from whether the members of the public view themselves as conservationists, whether land conservation and protection can be paired with a strong economy, and even whether federal lands should be turned over to the states.  The 2023 State of the Rockies poll just came ...

National Parks Traveler Podcast | The Hawaiian Volcano Observatory

February 12, 2023 13:00 - 48 minutes - 112 MB

The US Geological Survey operates five different volcano observatories around the country. These observatories monitor real-time volcanic, hydrothermal, and earthquake activity in Alaska, the Cascade Mountains, California’s Long Valley Caldera, Yellowstone National Park, and the State of Hawaii.    There are virtual partnerships between federal and state agencies, university-based researchers, and scientists. Their work involves monitoring, measuring, and analyzing data, all helping to in...

National Parks Traveler Podcast | Exploring the Oregon Trail

February 05, 2023 13:00 - 40 minutes - 93.5 MB

It is one of the longest units of the National Park System in the country. "It," of course, is the Oregon National Historic Trail, which stretches more than 2,100 miles from Missouri to Oregon. It’s been estimated that between 1840 and 1860 some 300,000-400,000 men, women, and children embarked on the four-month-long trip to head to the West Coast.  A new book, “Exploring The Oregon Trail, America's Historic Road Trip,” can help you explore sections of the trail, or the entire trail if you...

National Parks Traveler Podcast | Migratory Corridors with Dr. William Newmark

January 29, 2023 13:00 - 37 minutes - 86.7 MB

It’s a problem that’s been coming for quite some time, and one that really comes as no surprise. The large landscape national parks that are home to many species of wildlife have been turning into biological islands as development hems them in. You can look back to 1993 when the Yellowstone to Yukon Initiative launched to begin to see the discussion around opening up these parks through migratory corridors. That initiative, which continues today, envisioned a corridor stretching from Yellows...

National Parks Traveler Podcast | Wildlife Migratory Corridors

January 22, 2023 13:00 - 52 minutes - 120 MB

There is a wide acceptance that we have drifted too far away from nature, and that we need to pull closer. Many have called for 30 by 30 - conserving 30% of nature by 2030. The 2022 State of the Birds Report pointed out that more than half of bird species normally found in habitats as diverse as forests, deserts and oceans in the United States are in decline. Climate change is a major factor in those declines, but human development also plays a key role by chewing into wildlife habitat and c...

National Parks Traveler Podcast | Exploring Waco Mammoth National Monument

January 15, 2023 13:00 - 51 minutes - 117 MB

Exceptionally well-preserved fossils of Columbian Mammoths and other Ice Age animals are found at the Waco Mammoth National Monument in Waco, Texas.  In this unit of the National Park System, you can see the only recorded evidence of a nursery herd of Columbian mammoth mothers and their offspring and get a rare glimpse into the behavior and ecology of these immense extinct giants.   This week, the Traveler’s Lynn Riddick travels to Waco, to see what else she can unearth about this unique u...

National Parks Traveler Podcast |Birding Changes At Acadia National Park

January 08, 2023 13:00 - 39 minutes - 90.7 MB

National parks offer some of the best birding in the country. From Acadia National Park to Big Bend National Park and over to Haleakalā National Park, you could spend days looking overhead for a species to add to your life list. But as rich as national parks are in bird life, that’s not to say it’s business as usual in the birding world. At Acadia National Park, dramatic changes have been noted in the wintering bird populations. American Tree Sparrows, once fairly abundant, have been on th...

National Parks Traveler Podcast | 2022's Top Stories From The Parks

January 01, 2023 13:00 - 1 hour - 142 MB

When unprecedented flooding roars through a national park, shredding major roads that access that park, it rightfully could be pointed to as the top story in the National Park System. And while Yellowstone National Park was that park, not only the flooding, but the lack of human casualties, and rapid recovery rank that story as arguably the top one in the National Park System in 2022. But that wasn’t the only major story that came out of the parks this year. Today we’re looking back at som...

National Parks Traveler Podcast | Favorite National Park Stories From 2022

December 25, 2022 13:00 - 52 minutes - 120 MB

We’re just about to close the books on 2022 and what a year in the National Park System it has been. We’ve seen catastrophic flooding, drought, and crowds, lots of crowds. Today though, we’re going to focus on some of the positives about being out and about in the parks. We’ve asked contributing editors Lynn Riddick and Kim O’Connell to join us today to point to their favorite adventures and stories from the parks this past year. 

National Parks Traveler Podcast | Climate Change Conversations

December 18, 2022 13:00 - 1 hour - 161 MB

Andrew Revkin, noted journalist, author, and educator, has been reporting on climate change for the better part of 35 years. In a conversation with the Traveler’s Lynn Riddick, he shares stories of his experiences, and how he is adapting his work to foster conversations rather than the traditional form of interrogative storytelling. He regards today’s communication climate as an inseparable part of the Earth system, and vital in our response to real climate issues. He also has some thoughts ...

National Parks Traveler Podcast | National Park Disaster Funding

December 11, 2022 13:00 - 46 minutes - 107 MB

It’s been quite a year in the National Park System when the subject turns to unexpected bills. There was the historic flooding that hit Yellowstone National Park in June, monsoonal flooding that struck Death Valley National Park and Mojave National Preserve later this past summer, and even flooding at Vicksburg National Military Park that caused significant damage.  It’s well known that the National Park Service doesn’t have the financial resources and staffing that it needs on a daily bas...

National Parks Traveler Podcast | The Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation's 25th Anniversary

December 04, 2022 13:00 - 37 minutes - 87.2 MB

Across the National Park System, national parks fortunate enough to have friends groups helping them out have been leaning a little bit harder on those non-profit organizations than in the past. In some cases a lot harder as federal funding has not kept up with the increase in park units, or the costs of maintaining and operating those parks.  It seems the National Park Service can never get ahead of the costs of operating the park system. That’s where national park friends organizations c...

National Parks Traveler Audio Postcard From The Parks | Quitobaquito SpringsOrgan Pipe Cactus National Monument

December 01, 2022 08:30 - 8 minutes - 20.4 MB

National Parks Traveler correspondent Jennifer Bain visits Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument in southwestern Arizona. Jessica Pope, the park's interpretation, education and community engagement programs manager, gives Bain a tour of Quitobaquito Springs, a lush oasis in the middle of the Arizona desert.

National Parks Traveler Podcast | Dehydration King Chef Glenn MacAllister

November 27, 2022 13:00 - 48 minutes - 112 MB

Freeze-dried meals long have been the go-to food source for many backcountry travelers, but only because they didn’t know other options existed for meal time. And not everyone easily stomachs those meals. To explore the possibilities of home-made dehydrated meals, we are joined by Chef Glenn McAllister, who decided that a 315-mile hike on the Appalachian Trail would be a great shakedown trek for experimenting with dehydrated meals. Chef Glenn runs the website BackpackingChef.com, which is th...

National Parks Traveler Audio Postcard From The Parks | "Glacier"

November 24, 2022 09:00 - 14 minutes - 33.4 MB

There are places in the National Park System that take your breath away. Places such as Glacier National Park, along the shoreline of Avalanche Lake, or atop Logan Pass staring down valley along with the mountain goats. If you've been here, you'll never forget the experience. Husband-wife duo Laurie Raveis & Dennis Kole capture their experiences in "Glacier" in their upcoming 2023 album "In the Moment."

National Parks Traveler Podcast | Overlooked Gems Of The National Park System

November 20, 2022 13:00 - 45 minutes - 105 MB

This year has been a year of firsts for the National Parks Traveler Editor Kurt Repanshek. First-time visits to units of the National Park System, that is. This year Repanshek has taken road trips through Nebraska, Kansas, and New Mexico to explore overlooked gems of the park system. To discuss these and other must-see sites with us today are Rebecca Latson, Traveler's contributing photographer, and Kim O’Connell, a Traveler contributing editor.

National Parks Traveler | November News Round-up

November 13, 2022 13:00 - 58 minutes - 135 MB

As winter approaches, the slow season is setting in across the National Park System, which makes it a good time to take measure of some issues that are confronting both the parks and the National Park Service. We’ve invited Kristen Brengel, senior vice president of government affairs for the National Parks Conservation Association, and Mike Murray, the chair of the Coalition to Protect America’s National Parks.

National Parks Traveler | Devils Hole Pupfish

November 06, 2022 13:00 - 46 minutes - 108 MB

As hot, arid, and dusty as Death Valley National Park is, it might come as a surprise to learn that it has a very important fishery of sorts. There is a place in the national park where there is a warm spring that is home to a rare and endangered fish - the Devils Hole Pupfish. Each year the population of pupfish can swing wildly between highs and lows. Recently, researchers completed their biannual count of Devils Hole Pupfish and the numbers are encouraging. Devils Hole is the only natur...

National Parks Traveler | Drive National Parks Traveler's Coverage

October 30, 2022 12:00 - 44 minutes - 102 MB

National Parks Traveler Founder Kurt Repanshek and contributing editors Kim O'Connell and Lynn Riddick discuss the Traveler's role in reporting on national parks and how reader and listener support make that role possible.

National Parks Traveler | The Bison Of Tallgrass Prairie

October 23, 2022 12:00 - 41 minutes - 94.8 MB

Back in 2009, a small herd of bison was relocated from Wind Cave National Park in South Dakota to Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve in Kansas. The goal was not only to restore an essential foundational species of wildlife that had not grazed on those lands for more than a century, but to also reestablish the unique ecological benefits bison bring to the landscape while preserving the genetic integrity of the species. In this week’s podcast, the Traveler’s Lynn Riddick takes us to Tallgra...

National Parks Traveler Audio Postcard From The Parks | Parks Canada's Only Shipwright

October 23, 2022 07:30 - 9 minutes - 20.8 MB

Terry Karlsen is Parks Canada's only shipwright. And his latest challenge is a big one: Restoring the S.S. Klondike, a vintage steam-powered paddlewheeler. The work is underway at the S.S. Klondike National Historic Site in Whitehorse, Yukon.

National Parks Traveler | The Grand Teton National Park Foundation

October 16, 2022 12:00 - 42 minutes - 99 MB

If you’ve spent time in the National Park System, you’ve seen a mix of conditions in terms of a park’s infrastructure. Some are in great condition, some not so great. Recently my wife and I had the opportunity to stop by Grand Teton National Park and the Jenny Lake area. The trails that lead around the lake and up onto the flanks of the Tetons are in wonderful condition. But it wasn’t always so. When the Civilian Conservation Core built the original trails and overlooks, they weren’t expec...

National Parks Traveler Audio Postcard From The Parks|Appreciating Yellowstone By Sea Kayak

October 11, 2022 07:30 - 7 minutes - 16.9 MB

A sea kayaking paddle on Yellowstone Lake in Yellowstone National Park just might be the perfect way to end summer if you like paddling. It's also a great way to gain another perspective of the park, and the National Park System.

National Parks Traveler | Climate Change And The Parks

October 09, 2022 12:00 - 41 minutes - 96.5 MB

Our climate is changing, and not subtly. And it's having a great and visible impact on the National Park System. We saw flooding and fires at units of the National Park Systems this year, as well as an ongoing historic drought thought to be the worst in 1,200 years. Are those events the result of human-driven climate change, or simply the vagaries of weather? Today we're going to explore that question, and others tied to the weather we're experiencing, with Stephanie Kodish, the senior dir...

National Parks Traveler | From Swamp to Wetlands

October 02, 2022 12:00 - 51 minutes - 118 MB

Everglades National Park was somewhat of an anomaly when it was authorized in Congress back in 1934. It marked the first time that federal land was set aside for its abundance of plant and animal species, rather than for its breathtaking scenic views. Today, Everglades National Park continues to face threats that make it the only US world heritage site officially considered to be under threat from challenges like energy production, surrounding urban growth, and nutrient pollution from agri...

National Parks Traveler | Exploring Saratoga National Historical Park

September 25, 2022 12:00 - 51 minutes - 118 MB

Today we’re going to delve into some of New York’s Revolutionary War history with an audio trip to Saratoga National Historical Park. The Traveler’s Lynn Riddick caught up park ranger and military historian Eric Schnitzer, who explains what happened there and why it’s significant.

National Parks Traveler | Fat Bear Week At Katmai National Park

September 18, 2022 12:00 - 29 minutes - 68.2 MB

Fall is here. Snow has fallen in the Rockies, the days are getting shorter, and some animals are realizing that winter isn’t that far away.  With the change of seasons underway, you should mark your calendar for the most unusual competition in the National Park System and get started on your bracket. Not your NCAA basketball tournament bracket, but your fat bear bracket. The week of October 5-11 at Katmai National Park and Preserve in Alaska officially is Fat Bear Week in the park, and t...

National Parks Traveler | Kenai Fjords' Glaciers

September 11, 2022 12:00 - 34 minutes - 80 MB

One of the most amazing settings in the National Park System are glacial landscapes. From Glacier National Park in Montana and Mount Rainier National Park in Washington state to Alaska, these rivers of ice are captivating to see and, if you’re lucky enough, to walk upon or watch as they calve blocks of ice into Pacific waters. But as amazing as these rivers of ice are, they are vanishing under the warmth of climate change. Glacier National Park’s glaciers could be gone by mid-century. Many...

National Parks Traveler |Rewilding the West

September 04, 2022 12:00 - 50 minutes - 116 MB

The Biden administration’s desire to preserve at least 30 percent of the country’s lands and waters for nature by 2030 has heightened the public’s interest in nature, and spurred countless conversations into not only how that goal can be achieved, but about the benefits that it will generate. Professor William Ripple from Oregon State University, Michael Phillips from the Turner Endangered Species Fund, and Elaine Leslie, who was the National Park Service’s chief for biological resources, ...