Cuyahoga Valley National Park, located in northeastern Ohio is a breathtaking expanse of natural beauty, rich history, and vibrant wildlife and is unique in its proximity and relationships with surrounding communities/municipalities and its drastic transformation from a place where the river historically caught on fire to a river rich in ecology and opportunities for humans to recreate. Lisa has been superintendent at Cuyahoga Valley since 2021 but has been working at Cuyahoga Valley for almost ...
Jul 02, 2024•1 hr 1 min
Kobuk Valley National Park, located in northwestern Alaska is a fascinating park, with a rich history of caribou hunting and the onion portage and a unique landscape compared to other Alaska parks we have done so far with sand dunes and vast valleys where caribou migrate. In this episode we interview Ray McPadden, Kobuk Valley (and the larger Western Arctic National Parklands) Superintendent, and his story is one for the books. Not only does he manage such a vast landscape with resiliency and in...
Jun 18, 2024•1 hr 11 min
Zion National Park is globally known for its Narrows wading hike and Angels Landing, and in this interview with Superintendent Jeff Bradybaugh, not only do we dive into the details behind these famous hikes (including some tips on how to best enjoy the Narrows), but we also uncover facts and stories about Zion beyond its famous hikes. We learn what soundscapes are, talk about the backcountry experiences in the park and learn more about the Bureau of Land Management and the Forest Service (from J...
Jun 04, 2024•41 min
Close your eyes and imagine a wilderness four times bigger than Yellowstone National Park. Imagine a landscape north of the Arctic Circle with rugged mountains, vast expanses of treeless tundra, glaciated valleys, forests and many rivers and lakes. In the winter the weather can dip below -50 degrees Fahrenheit and in the month of June the sun is out for 24 hours. This vast and expansive landscape is the home of Gates Of The Arctic National Park & Preserve, where this episode hears from its s...
May 21, 2024•59 min
A subterranean park filled with adventures where your boots barely fit through the infamous “mole hole”. This episode explores Mammoth Cave National Park through the lens of its superintendent, Barclay Trimble. Barclay is motivated by experiencing different parts of the country and coming into places that aren’t running as smoothly as they should be. He came from a business background and has had experiences across the country, ranging from Denali National Park up in Alaska all the way to the mo...
May 07, 2024•1 hr 2 min
“Creating memories is an act of preservation.” Grand Teton Superintendent, Chip Jenkins, is passionate about the impact us as visitors can have in the national parks. By visiting and sharing that we value the outdoors to our families and friends, we are creating stewards of the national parks for generations to come. “The National Park Service cannot care for Grand Teton entirely on its own.” Listen in to Chip’s interview to hear his heart, learn about his extensive experience across our nation’...
Apr 22, 2024•1 hr 2 min
How did a lawyer become the Superintendent of our nation’s second most visited national park? Listen in to hear how Ed Keable, Grand Canyon Superintendent, transitioned into the National Park Service after serving as the highest ranking civil service lawyer in the Department of the Interior. With a commute along the canyon rim everyday, the vista reminds him of his responsibilities as superintendent and of his first experience at the grand canyon many years before, where he experienced the spiri...
Apr 02, 2024•1 hr
The National Park Service participated in two SXSW panels & I got to go & “report” on the discussions and attend a few days of SXSW (a tech, music, film & culture conference in Austin, Texas each year) -- truly a dream come true! This episode documents the two panels plus some fun tidbits and takeaways from my experience meeting National Park Service folks and folks across other governmental agencies and partners (like L.L.Bean & the National Park Foundation). With me documenting...
Mar 19, 2024•27 min
Step into the world of Glacier National Park alongside its superintendent, Dave Roemer, as he shares his deep insights into the park's rich tapestry of history and conservation efforts. Learn about his collaboration with indigenous tribes to restore the land and their cultural traditions, his “Drink Coffee with the Superintendent” initiative and his bold decisions to proactively combat climate change.
Mar 05, 2024•43 min
As someone whose love for the outdoors and desire to protect it for generations to come is evident, Kevin Schneider (Acadia Superintendent) gives us the inside scoop on the going-ons in Acadia National Park, from exciting housing projects, to his favorite places to ski within the park, to the various programs enabling people to spend time in Acadia (kids, teachers, etc), to the trails that were built during the late 1800s Rusticator Era, this is not an episode to miss!
Feb 20, 2024•39 min
BONUS EPISODE: There are over 400 National Park Sites outside of the 63 National Parks. This episode invites us deeper into the heart of the National Park Service where Eric Leonard, Superintendent of the High Plains Group (four National Park Sites across Colorado & New Mexico with a narrative arc tying them all together) shares his extensive experience across a wide array of national parks, historic sites, national monuments, etc. This episode is unique in that it doesn’t focus on a specifi...
Feb 06, 2024•1 hr 7 min
“Preservation of public land, an act known round the world” -- Yellowstone hails as America’s first National Park, coining what is widely known as America’s Best Idea, the National Park Service. In this episode, we are chatting with the big kahuna, Cam Sholly, Superintendent of Yellowstone National Park. From heroically navigating a historic flood in 2022 (an 100% increase in cubic ft/s in the river since the last recorded flood), to both recognizing progress from a conservation perspective (as ...
Jan 23, 2024•57 min
Cueing us into the ins-and-outs of desert parks, Jane Rodgers shares priceless tidbits on Joshua Tree, including how Minerva Hoyt, a marketing genius, promoted the establishment of Joshua Tree National Park, emphasizes that no park can operate as an island (highlighting the wide array of partnerships Joshua Tree has) and shares how they are working to achieve sustainable tourism amidst increased visitors and more people moving to surrounding communities.
Jan 09, 2024•1 hr 5 min
Unveiling the wonders of Alaska’s wilderness, Susanne shares her experiences as managing one of America’s most remote national parks: commuting via plane over awe-inspiring landscapes, experiencing hair-raising encounters with coastal brown bears and navigating the challenges and preparation involved in fieldwork within Lake Clark.
Dec 12, 2023•1 hr 10 min
Standing waist deep in the Everglades amongst bellowing alligators, mesmerized at the end of the ice road by aurora borealis and a blanket of stars, and inspired by the opportunity to work for an agency with such an outstanding mission are just a few of the experiences Bob DeGross, Superintendent of Voyageurs National Park, invites us into in this episode -- you don’t want to miss learning about his experiences across the park service and his unique insight into Voyageurs National Park. Bob shar...
Nov 28, 2023•59 min
Sue Fritzke, former Superintendent of Capitol Reef National Park, takes us on a riveting journey of her career, starting in the Peace Corps in Ecuador, meandering through stints at some of our country's gems, including Mount Rainier, Yellowstone and Yosemite, all the way to her final position before retirement as Superintendent of Capitol Reef National Park. from the Peace Corps in Ecuador to various positions. Not only does she take us through her career but invites us into some of the joys an...
Nov 14, 2023•57 min
Paul Labovitz, former Superintendent of Indiana Dunes National Park, walks us through his career and his time in the National Park Service up until his final position before retirement at Indiana Dunes. Paul is a self-proclaimed city kid whose transformational experience outdoors changed his life and charted his course to work in the outdoors. In his interview, he surprises us with a career change to the National Park Service due to the Space Shuttle Challenger disaster, shares insights about "s...
Oct 31, 2023•41 min
David Smith, Superintendent of Golden Gate National Recreation Area, takes us on a riveting journey of his career, from working in border patrol, working in the House of Representatives as a part of the Bevinetto Fellowship, giving a TED talk on the importance of community engagement in national parks, being superintendent for almost 10 years at Joshua Tree all the way to his new posting at GGNRA, since January of 2023. In this conversation, he shares his excitement in exploring the amazing GGNR...
Oct 17, 2023•52 min
Laura A. Miller, Superintendent of Hot Springs National Park dives deep into the National Park Service's presence and history in Arkansas. She gives us a behind the scenes look at how National Park Sites are set up and created (namely Little Rock Central High School and President William Jefferson Clinton Birthplace Home), talks about the unique aspects of Hot Springs National Park, with thermal water at 140 degrees and a history as a medicinal "treatment" facility, highlights all the exciting w...
Oct 03, 2023•58 min
Don Striker, Superintendent of North Cascades National Park, goes into detail on his time in the National Park Service, sharing the ways nature brings people to tears (from Mount Rushmore to Denali), laughing about the hair-raising encounters with wildlife (including a humorous yet tense squirrel episode), reminiscing on people who took a chance on him and were willing to promote a less conventional path, highlighting unique challenges such as reintroducing wolves into Yellowstone in the 1990s a...
Sep 19, 2023•54 min
Clay Jordan, the Superintendent of Sequoia & Kings Canyon National Parks, gives us a peak into his 35-year career in the National Park Service, highlighting his experiences and insights in managing these iconic parks, including dealing with challenges like wildfires and surging visitor numbers and sheds light on the dedication and collaborative spirit required to protect and preserve our national treasures. Sequoia & Kings Canyon National Parks are nestled side by side in Central Califor...
Sep 05, 2023•1 hr 9 min
Uncover the heroes behind your favorite National Parks through these interviews with National Park Superintendents. Get a look into their career path, unique experiences and stories of adventure and get a glimpse into their heart for preserving our Nation's treasures. Our first episode releases Tuesday, September 5th at 6AM EST with following episodes released every other week.
Aug 27, 2023•3 min
