Podcasts about park service

In this week's episode, we cover the details of the budget reconciliation package, the agencies and communities affected, and what you can do to help stop these devastating moves before Memorial Day.

In this National Park and Public Lands news roundup, we dive into the proposed 38% budget cut for the National Park Service, which could lead to the removal of some sites from the system. We cover the Interior Department's leaked plans to allow drilling, mining, and selling off federal land, as well as the potential reopening of Alcatraz as a federal prison. Updates on Yosemite's summer reservations, a tragic crash near Yellowstone, various park closures, and more. Find the  Slinky Stove that's right for your next adventure at: https://www.slinkystove.com/?ref=PARKography 00:00 Introduction and Episode Overview 00:35 Sponsor Message: Slinky Stove 01:22 Trump Administration's Budget Proposal for National Parks 03:09 Leaked Interior Department Plan for Federal Lands 04:20 National Monuments and Endangered Species 05:15 House Appropriations Bill and National Park Funding 07:18 Staffing Issues and USACE Campground Closures 11:26 Yosemite Summer Reservations 13:01 Tragic Crash Near Yellowstone 13:41 Theft at Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park 14:24 Jackson Hole Airport Achieves Dark Sky Status 15:18 Conclusion

Ep 208 | This week on Discover Ag, Natalie and Tara dive into one of the most misunderstood headlines in food news: the FDA pausing a key milk testing program—and why that doesn't mean your milk is unsafe. Plus, we break down Giada's high-end pasta drop (is $12.99 worth it?), Post Malone's unexpected farming collab with Kubota and major drama in Point Reyes as ranchers face eviction in a historic California lawsuit. And of course, we dish on the latest Farmer Wants a Wife twist—because what's a week without some cowboy chaos? What We Discovered This Week

The first 100 days of President Donald Trump's second term might be the most tumultuous first 100 days of any president. He certainly came in prepared to move his agenda forward, no matter what barriers to it existed. We don't usually discuss presidential politics, but President Trump has released a blizzard of executive orders and directives touching all corners of the federal government, including the National Park Service. What we have seen so far is the loss of perhaps 2,500 Park Service employees, and along with them some crucial institutional knowledge. Any day we expect to hear of a further reduction in force of the Park Service. The president and the Republican Congress have also taken aim at environmental laws and regulations, determined it seems to weaken the Endangered Species Act, the Migratory Bird Treaty Act, among others, and there's been talk about selling off federal lands.  And, of course, Interior Secretary Doug Burgum has made it clear he wants to see more coal mined and more oil and gas reserves tapped. The administration also is taking aim at agency responses to climate change, and the president has ordered the militarization of federal lands – including national park lands – along the country's southern border with Mexico. To get a take on what's going on and what the impacts might be, we're joined today by U.S. Rep. Jared Huffman, the ranking Democrat on the House Natural Resources Committee.

There has been much upheaval in the National Park Service this year, with firings, then rehires, and staff deciding to retire now rather than risk sticking around and being fired. There have been fears that more Park Service personnel are about to be let go through a reduction in force.  While Interior Secretary Doug Burgum has ordered the Park Service to ensure that parks are properly to support the operating hours and needs of each park unit,” that message said nothing about protecting park resources.  Among all this upheaval the question that goes begging is whether the Interior Department is as concerned about protecting natural resources, including wildlife, as it is about seeing that visitors have a good national park experience? Our guest today is Dr. Michael Soukup, who during his National Park Service career served as the agency's chief scientist. When he joined the Park Service in 1975 Dr. Soukup, a distinguished coastal ecologist, biologist and researcher, brought a clear vision for natural resource stewardship that would be embraced throughout the NPS and supported by visitors and local citizens.    He was directly responsible for launching the Natural Resource Challenge, a $100 million funding initiative that brought the protection of natural resources of the parks to the forefront. 

Listen in as Real Science Radio host Fred Williams and co-host Doug McBurney review and update some of Bob Enyart's legendary list of not so old things! From Darwin's Finches to opals forming in months to man's genetic diversity in 200 generations, to carbon 14 everywhere it's not supposed to be (including in diamonds and dinosaur bones!), scientific observations simply defy the claim that the earth is billions of years old. Real science demands the dismissal of the alleged million and billion year ages asserted by the ungodly and the foolish.     * Finches Adapt in 17 Years, Not 2.3 Million: Charles Darwin's finches are claimed to have taken 2,300,000 years to diversify from an initial species blown onto the Galapagos Islands. Yet individuals from a single finch species on a U.S. Bird Reservation in the Pacific were introduced to a group of small islands 300 miles away and in at most 17 years, like Darwin's finches, they had diversified their beaks, related muscles, and behavior to fill various ecological niches. Hear about this also at rsr.org/spetner.  * Finches Speciate in Two Generations vs Two Million Years for Darwin's Birds?  Darwin's finches on the Galapagos Islands are said to have diversified into 14 species over a period of two million years. But in 2017 the journal Science reported a newcomer to the Island which within two generations spawned a reproductively isolated new species. In another instance as documented by Lee Spetner, a hundred birds of the same finch species introduced to an island cluster a 1,000 kilometers from Galapagos diversified into species with the typical variations in beak sizes, etc. "If this diversification occurred in less than seventeen years," Dr. Spetner asks, "why did Darwin's Galapagos finches [as claimed by evolutionists] have to take two million years?" * Opals Can Form in "A Few Months" And Don't Need 100,000 Years: A leading authority on opals, Allan W. Eckert, observed that, "scientific papers and textbooks have told that the process of opal formation requires tens of thousands of years, perhaps hundreds of thousands... Not true." A 2011 peer-reviewed paper in a geology journal from Australia, where almost all the world's opal is found, reported on the: "new timetable for opal formation involving weeks to a few months and not the hundreds of thousands of years envisaged by the conventional weathering model." (And apparently, per a 2019 report from Entomology Today, opals can even form around insects!) More knowledgeable scientists resist the uncritical, group-think insistence on false super-slow formation rates (as also for manganese nodules, gold veins, stone, petroleum, canyons and gullies, and even guts, all below). Regarding opals, Darwinian bias led geologists to long ignore possible quick action, as from microbes, as a possible explanation for these mineraloids. For both in nature and in the lab, opals form rapidly, not even in 10,000 years, but in weeks. See this also from creationists by a geologist, a paleobiochemist, and a nuclear chemist. * Blue Eyes Originated Not So Long Ago: Not a million years ago, nor a hundred thousand years ago, but based on a peer-reviewed paper in Human Genetics, a press release at Science Daily reports that, "research shows that people with blue eyes have a single, common ancestor. A team at the University of Copenhagen have tracked down a genetic mutation which took place 6-10,000 years ago and is the cause of the eye color of all blue-eyed humans alive on the planet today." * Adding the Entire Universe to our List of Not So Old Things? Based on March 2019 findings from Hubble, Nobel laureate Adam Riess of the Space Telescope Science Institute and his co-authors in the Astrophysical Journal estimate that the universe is about a billion years younger than previously thought! Then in September 2019 in the journal Science, the age dropped precipitously to as low as 11.4 billion years! Of course, these measurements also further squeeze the canonical story of the big bang chronology with its many already existing problems including the insufficient time to "evolve" distant mature galaxies, galaxy clusters, superclusters, enormous black holes, filaments, bubbles, walls, and other superstructures. So, even though the latest estimates are still absurdly too old (Google: big bang predictions, and click on the #1 ranked article, or just go on over there to rsr.org/bb), regardless, we thought we'd plop the whole universe down on our List of Not So Old Things!   * After the Soft Tissue Discoveries, NOW Dino DNA: When a North Carolina State University paleontologist took the Tyrannosaurus Rex photos to the right of original biological material, that led to the 2016 discovery of dinosaur DNA, So far researchers have also recovered dinosaur blood vessels, collagen, osteocytes, hemoglobin, red blood cells, and various proteins. As of May 2018, twenty-six scientific journals, including Nature, Science, PNAS, PLoS One, Bone, and Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology, have confirmed the discovery of biomaterial fossils from many dinosaurs! Organisms including T. Rex, hadrosaur, titanosaur, triceratops, Lufengosaur, mosasaur, and Archaeopteryx, and many others dated, allegedly, even hundreds of millions of years old, have yielded their endogenous, still-soft biological material. See the web's most complete listing of 100+ journal papers (screenshot, left) announcing these discoveries at bflist.rsr.org and see it in layman's terms at rsr.org/soft. * Rapid Stalactites, Stalagmites, Etc.: A construction worker in 1954 left a lemonade bottle in one of Australia's famous Jenolan Caves. By 2011 it had been naturally transformed into a stalagmite (below, right). Increasing scientific knowledge is arguing for rapid cave formation (see below, Nat'l Park Service shrinks Carlsbad Caverns formation estimates from 260M years, to 10M, to 2M, to it "depends"). Likewise, examples are growing of rapid formations with typical chemical make-up (see bottle, left) of classic stalactites and stalagmites including: - in Nat'l Geo the Carlsbad Caverns stalagmite that rapidly covered a bat - the tunnel stalagmites at Tennessee's Raccoon Mountain - hundreds of stalactites beneath the Lincoln Memorial - those near Gladfelter Hall at Philadelphia's Temple University (send photos to Bob@rsr.org) - hundreds of stalactites at Australia's zinc mine at Mt. Isa.   - and those beneath Melbourne's Shrine of Remembrance. * Most Human Mutations Arose in 200 Generations: From Adam until Real Science Radio, in only 200 generations! The journal Nature reports The Recent Origin of Most Human Protein-coding Variants. As summarized by geneticist co-author Joshua Akey, "Most of the mutations that we found arose in the last 200 generations or so" (the same number previously published by biblical creationists). Another 2012 paper, in the American Journal of Physical Anthropology (Eugenie Scott's own field) on High mitochondrial mutation rates, shows that one mitochondrial DNA mutation occurs every other generation, which, as creationists point out, indicates that mtEve would have lived about 200 generations ago. That's not so old! * National Geographic's Not-So-Old Hard-Rock Canyon at Mount St. Helens: As our List of Not So Old Things (this web page) reveals, by a kneejerk reaction evolutionary scientists assign ages of tens or hundreds of thousands of years (or at least just long enough to contradict Moses' chronology in Genesis.) However, with closer study, routinely, more and more old ages get revised downward to fit the world's growing scientific knowledge. So the trend is not that more information lengthens ages, but rather, as data replaces guesswork, ages tend to shrink until they are consistent with the young-earth biblical timeframe. Consistent with this observation, the May 2000 issue of National Geographic quotes the U.S. Forest Service's scientist at Mount St. Helens, Peter Frenzen, describing the canyon on the north side of the volcano. "You'd expect a hard-rock canyon to be thousands, even hundreds of thousands of years old. But this was cut in less than a decade." And as for the volcano itself, while again, the kneejerk reaction of old-earthers would be to claim that most geologic features are hundreds of thousands or millions of years old, the atheistic National Geographic magazine acknowledges from the evidence that Mount St. Helens, the volcanic mount, is only about 4,000 years old! See below and more at rsr.org/mount-st-helens. * Mount St. Helens Dome Ten Years Old not 1.7 Million: Geochron Laboratories of Cambridge, Mass., using potassium-argon and other radiometric techniques claims the rock sample they dated, from the volcano's dome, solidified somewhere between 340,000 and 2.8 million years ago. However photographic evidence and historical reports document the dome's formation during the 1980s, just ten years prior to the samples being collected. With the age of this rock known, radiometric dating therefore gets the age 99.99999% wrong. * Devils Hole Pupfish Isolated Not for 13,000 Years But for 100: Secular scientists default to knee-jerk, older-than-Bible-age dates. However, a tiny Mojave desert fish is having none of it. Rather than having been genetically isolated from other fish for 13,000 years (which would make this small school of fish older than the Earth itself), according to a paper in the journal Nature, actual measurements of mutation rates indicate that the genetic diversity of these Pupfish could have been generated in about 100 years, give or take a few. * Polystrates like Spines and Rare Schools of Fossilized Jellyfish: Previously, seven sedimentary layers in Wisconsin had been described as taking a million years to form. And because jellyfish have no skeleton, as Charles Darwin pointed out, it is rare to find them among fossils. But now, reported in the journal Geology, a school of jellyfish fossils have been found throughout those same seven layers. So, polystrate fossils that condense the time of strata deposition from eons to hours or months, include: - Jellyfish in central Wisconsin were not deposited and fossilized over a million years but during a single event quick enough to trap a whole school. (This fossil school, therefore, taken as a unit forms a polystrate fossil.) Examples are everywhere that falsify the claims of strata deposition over millions of years. - Countless trilobites buried in astounding three dimensionality around the world are meticulously recovered from limestone, much of which is claimed to have been deposited very slowly. Contrariwise, because these specimens were buried rapidly in quickly laid down sediments, they show no evidence of greater erosion on their upper parts as compared to their lower parts. - The delicacy of radiating spine polystrates, like tadpole and jellyfish fossils, especially clearly demonstrate the rapidity of such strata deposition. - A second school of jellyfish, even though they rarely fossilized, exists in another locale with jellyfish fossils in multiple layers, in Australia's Brockman Iron Formation, constraining there too the rate of strata deposition. By the way, jellyfish are an example of evolution's big squeeze. Like galaxies evolving too quickly, 

Listen in as Real Science Radio host Fred Williams and co-host Doug McBurney review and update some of Bob Enyart's legendary list of not so old things! From Darwin's Finches to opals forming in months to man's genetic diversity in 200 generations, to carbon 14 everywhere it's not supposed to be (including in diamonds and dinosaur bones!), scientific observations simply defy the claim that the earth is billions of years old. Real science demands the dismissal of the alleged million and billion year ages asserted by the ungodly and the foolish.   * Finches Adapt in 17 Years, Not 2.3 Million: Charles Darwin's finches are claimed to have taken 2,300,000 years to diversify from an initial species blown onto the Galapagos Islands. Yet individuals from a single finch species on a U.S. Bird Reservation in the Pacific were introduced to a group of small islands 300 miles away and in at most 17 years, like Darwin's finches, they had diversified their beaks, related muscles, and behavior to fill various ecological niches. Hear about this also at rsr.org/spetner.  * Finches Speciate in Two Generations vs Two Million Years for Darwin's Birds?  Darwin's finches on the Galapagos Islands are said to have diversified into 14 species over a period of two million years. But in 2017 the journal Science reported a newcomer to the Island which within two generations spawned a reproductively isolated new species. In another instance as documented by Lee Spetner, a hundred birds of the same finch species introduced to an island cluster a 1,000 kilometers from Galapagos diversified into species with the typical variations in beak sizes, etc. "If this diversification occurred in less than seventeen years," Dr. Spetner asks, "why did Darwin's Galapagos finches [as claimed by evolutionists] have to take two million years?" * Opals Can Form in "A Few Months" And Don't Need 100,000 Years: A leading authority on opals, Allan W. Eckert, observed that, "scientific papers and textbooks have told that the process of opal formation requires tens of thousands of years, perhaps hundreds of thousands... Not true." A 2011 peer-reviewed paper in a geology journal from Australia, where almost all the world's opal is found, reported on the: "new timetable for opal formation involving weeks to a few months and not the hundreds of thousands of years envisaged by the conventional weathering model." (And apparently, per a 2019 report from Entomology Today, opals can even form around insects!) More knowledgeable scientists resist the uncritical, group-think insistence on false super-slow formation rates (as also for manganese nodules, gold veins, stone, petroleum, canyons and gullies, and even guts, all below). Regarding opals, Darwinian bias led geologists to long ignore possible quick action, as from microbes, as a possible explanation for these mineraloids. For both in nature and in the lab, opals form rapidly, not even in 10,000 years, but in weeks. See this also from creationists by a geologist, a paleobiochemist, and a nuclear chemist. * Blue Eyes Originated Not So Long Ago: Not a million years ago, nor a hundred thousand years ago, but based on a peer-reviewed paper in Human Genetics, a press release at Science Daily reports that, "research shows that people with blue eyes have a single, common ancestor. A team at the University of Copenhagen have tracked down a genetic mutation which took place 6-10,000 years ago and is the cause of the eye color of all blue-eyed humans alive on the planet today." * Adding the Entire Universe to our List of Not So Old Things? Based on March 2019 findings from Hubble, Nobel laureate Adam Riess of the Space Telescope Science Institute and his co-authors in the Astrophysical Journal estimate that the universe is about a billion years younger than previously thought! Then in September 2019 in the journal Science, the age dropped precipitously to as low as 11.4 billion years! Of course, these measurements also further squeeze the canonical story of the big bang chronology with its many already existing problems including the insufficient time to "evolve" distant mature galaxies, galaxy clusters, superclusters, enormous black holes, filaments, bubbles, walls, and other superstructures. So, even though the latest estimates are still absurdly too old (Google: big bang predictions, and click on the #1 ranked article, or just go on over there to rsr.org/bb), regardless, we thought we'd plop the whole universe down on our List of Not So Old Things!   * After the Soft Tissue Discoveries, NOW Dino DNA: When a North Carolina State University paleontologist took the Tyrannosaurus Rex photos to the right of original biological material, that led to the 2016 discovery of dinosaur DNA, So far researchers have also recovered dinosaur blood vessels, collagen, osteocytes, hemoglobin, red blood cells, and various proteins. As of May 2018, twenty-six scientific journals, including Nature, Science, PNAS, PLoS One, Bone, and Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology, have confirmed the discovery of biomaterial fossils from many dinosaurs! Organisms including T. Rex, hadrosaur, titanosaur, triceratops, Lufengosaur, mosasaur, and Archaeopteryx, and many others dated, allegedly, even hundreds of millions of years old, have yielded their endogenous, still-soft biological material. See the web's most complete listing of 100+ journal papers (screenshot, left) announcing these discoveries at bflist.rsr.org and see it in layman's terms at rsr.org/soft. * Rapid Stalactites, Stalagmites, Etc.: A construction worker in 1954 left a lemonade bottle in one of Australia's famous Jenolan Caves. By 2011 it had been naturally transformed into a stalagmite (below, right). Increasing scientific knowledge is arguing for rapid cave formation (see below, Nat'l Park Service shrinks Carlsbad Caverns formation estimates from 260M years, to 10M, to 2M, to it "depends"). Likewise, examples are growing of rapid formations with typical chemical make-up (see bottle, left) of classic stalactites and stalagmites including: - in Nat'l Geo the Carlsbad Caverns stalagmite that rapidly covered a bat - the tunnel stalagmites at Tennessee's Raccoon Mountain - hundreds of stalactites beneath the Lincoln Memorial - those near Gladfelter Hall at Philadelphia's Temple University (send photos to Bob@rsr.org) - hundreds of stalactites at Australia's zinc mine at Mt. Isa.   - and those beneath Melbourne's Shrine of Remembrance. * Most Human Mutations Arose in 200 Generations: From Adam until Real Science Radio, in only 200 generations! The journal Nature reports The Recent Origin of Most Human Protein-coding Variants. As summarized by geneticist co-author Joshua Akey, "Most of the mutations that we found arose in the last 200 generations or so" (the same number previously published by biblical creationists). Another 2012 paper, in the American Journal of Physical Anthropology (Eugenie Scott's own field) on High mitochondrial mutation rates, shows that one mitochondrial DNA mutation occurs every other generation, which, as creationists point out, indicates that mtEve would have lived about 200 generations ago. That's not so old! * National Geographic's Not-So-Old Hard-Rock Canyon at Mount St. Helens: As our List of Not So Old Things (this web page) reveals, by a kneejerk reaction evolutionary scientists assign ages of tens or hundreds of thousands of years (or at least just long enough to contradict Moses' chronology in Genesis.) However, with closer study, routinely, more and more old ages get revised downward to fit the world's growing scientific knowledge. So the trend is not that more information lengthens ages, but rather, as data replaces guesswork, ages tend to shrink until they are consistent with the young-earth biblical timeframe. Consistent with this observation, the May 2000 issue of National Geographic quotes the U.S. Forest Service's scientist at Mount St. Helens, Peter Frenzen, describing the canyon on the north side of the volcano. "You'd expect a hard-rock canyon to be thousands, even hundreds of thousands of years old. But this was cut in less than a decade." And as for the volcano itself, while again, the kneejerk reaction of old-earthers would be to claim that most geologic features are hundreds of thousands or millions of years old, the atheistic National Geographic magazine acknowledges from the evidence that Mount St. Helens, the volcanic mount, is only about 4,000 years old! See below and more at rsr.org/mount-st-helens. * Mount St. Helens Dome Ten Years Old not 1.7 Million: Geochron Laboratories of Cambridge, Mass., using potassium-argon and other radiometric techniques claims the rock sample they dated, from the volcano's dome, solidified somewhere between 340,000 and 2.8 million years ago. However photographic evidence and historical reports document the dome's formation during the 1980s, just ten years prior to the samples being collected. With the age of this rock known, radiometric dating therefore gets the age 99.99999% wrong. * Devils Hole Pupfish Isolated Not for 13,000 Years But for 100: Secular scientists default to knee-jerk, older-than-Bible-age dates. However, a tiny Mojave desert fish is having none of it. Rather than having been genetically isolated from other fish for 13,000 years (which would make this small school of fish older than the Earth itself), according to a paper in the journal Nature, actual measurements of mutation rates indicate that the genetic diversity of these Pupfish could have been generated in about 100 years, give or take a few. * Polystrates like Spines and Rare Schools of Fossilized Jellyfish: Previously, seven sedimentary layers in Wisconsin had been described as taking a million years to form. And because jellyfish have no skeleton, as Charles Darwin pointed out, it is rare to find them among fossils. But now, reported in the journal Geology, a school of jellyfish fossils have been found throughout those same seven layers. So, polystrate fossils that condense the time of strata deposition from eons to hours or months, include: - Jellyfish in central Wisconsin were not deposited and fossilized over a million years but during a single event quick enough to trap a whole school. (This fossil school, therefore, taken as a unit forms a polystrate fossil.) Examples are everywhere that falsify the claims of strata deposition over millions of years. - Countless trilobites buried in astounding three dimensionality around the world are meticulously recovered from limestone, much of which is claimed to have been deposited very slowly. Contrariwise, because these specimens were buried rapidly in quickly laid down sediments, they show no evidence of greater erosion on their upper parts as compared to their lower parts. - The delicacy of radiating spine polystrates, like tadpole and jellyfish fossils, especially clearly demonstrate the rapidity of such strata deposition. - A second school of jellyfish, even though they rarely fossilized, exists in another locale with jellyfish fossils in multiple layers, in Australia's Brockman Iron Formation, constraining there too the rate of strata deposition. By the way, jellyfish are an example of evolution's big squeeze. Like galaxies e

About the Guest: Josh Jackson is a passionate author and explorer of public lands, focusing specifically on the often-overlooked Bureau of Land Management (BLM) territories in California. He is the mastermind behind the "Forgotten Lands Project," where he explores and highlights the beauty and significance of BLM lands throughout the West. His forthcoming book, "The Enduring: A Journey into California's Public Lands," scheduled for release later this year, captures his extensive experiences and insights from visiting these lands. Jackson is committed to raising awareness and fostering appreciation for America's public lands, hoping to inspire conservation efforts. Episode Summary: In this episode of 90 Miles from Needles: The Desert Protection Podcast, host Chris Clarke engages in a compelling conversation with author Josh Jackson about the significance of BLM lands in California. Josh shares his journey from discovering BLM lands to exploring them extensively and writing a book about his experiences. His book, "The Enduring: A Journey into California's Public Lands," aims to shed light on the underappreciated beauty and value of these lands, advocating for their protection against growing threats. This episode explores deeper themes of environmental conservation, management challenges, and the intersection of recreation and preservation on public lands. The discussion also dives into the current crises facing BLM lands under the current trying political climate, including government slashing agency budgets and staff. Josh offers his perspective on the importance of public engagement in land conservation, drawing parallels between treasured national parks and less-known but equally significant landscapes managed by the BLM. The conversation underscores the valuable connection between experiencing these lands and the motivation to protect them, highlighting Jackson’s aspiration to fuel public awareness and political action. Key Takeaways: BLM Land Discovery & Exploration: Josh Jackson discusses his initiation into exploring BLM lands in California and how those experiences fueled his book, "The Enduring." Environmental and Political Challenges: The episode highlights the severe staffing and funding cuts faced by the BLM, threatening the conservation and management of public lands. Importance of Public Engagement: The conversation emphasizes the necessity of the public connecting with BLM lands to inspire conservation efforts. California’s BLM Land Significance: Despite California's better balance in BLM land use, threats like mining persist, calling for heightened awareness and action. Future Projects: Josh hints at potential explorations and writings about BLM lands in Utah, indicating continuous efforts in advocating for these regions. Notable Quotes: "In the end, we will conserve only what we love." - Baba Dioum"The anonymity that once protected these landscapes now works against them." - Josh Jackson "It's a delicate balance between recreation and conservation." - Josh Jackson "The desert invited me to leave behind my notions about what I might find or experience, or even how I might feel." - Josh Jackson Resources: Forgotten Lands Project: https://www.forgottenlandsproject.com Pre-order Josh Jackson's book: https://90milesfromneedles.com/booksPast podcast episode with Kristen Brengel discussing Park Service layoffs: https://90milesfromneedles.com/s4e5Find a Bernie Sanders event near you: https://berniesanders.com/oligarchy/Find an April 19 event: https://www.fiftyfifty.one/eventsThis rich episode provides an insightful look into the complex world of BLM lands, urging listeners to appreciate and protect these often-overlooked areas.Become a desert defender!: https://90milesfromneedles.com/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Harriet Tubman was nearly ghosted from her own story. The National Park Service is walking back quiet changes to its Underground Railroad webpage that dramatically downplayed Tubman's presence. Gone was a large photo of her. Gone was a powerful quote. And the word "slavery" appeared nowhere until paragraph three. Instead, the revised page focused on American ideals of liberty — as if Tubman hadn't risked her life fighting a country that denied liberty to Black people. Let's be clear, Tubman wasn't a footnote in this history, she was the movement. Following a Sunday report by the Washington Post and backlash from historians and educators, the page has been restored. But the move raises serious concerns, especially in a political climate where anti-DEI agendas are scrubbing Black history out of federal spaces. If there's one thing Tubman taught us, it's never to stop moving forward. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

George Melendez Wright was a brilliant young scientist with the National Park Service back in the 1920s and 1930s. You could say he was ahead of his time, in that he wanted the Park Service to take a holistic role in how wildlife in the parks was managed. While Wright tragically left the world too young when he was killed in a car crash in 1936, his name lives on today in the George Wright Society, a nonprofit organization that is focused on stewardship of parks, protected & conserved areas, cultural sites, and other kinds of place-based conservation. Our guest today is Dave Harmon, executive director of the society. We'll be back in a minute with Dave to learn more about the society and the role it plays.

The state’s Department of Natural Resources says it’s coming up with backup plans to address the growing threat of serious wildfires in Washington. This, as it's typically close working relationship with federal forest managers has frayed under the Trump Administration. Some of this started in mid-February, when the U.S. Department of Agriculture cut thousands of probationary employees at the U.S. Forest Service. The USDA is in charge of stewarding places like the Mount Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest and the Gifford-Pinchot National Forest. Altogether, about 2,000 employees across the country were fired. The USDA emphasized that no “operational firefighters” had been let go, and argued the critical work of responding to wildfires would not be interrupted. But an organization called Grassroots Wildland Firefighters estimated that three-quarters of the employees laid off had secondary wildland firefighting duties, meaning firefighting wasn’t their primary job, but they were pulled in to fight fires as needed. Soundside has heard directly from laid off workers at the Forest Service based here in Washington who have wildland firefighting certifications of various levels. They say they are in limbo right now, even after there have been multiple court orders to reinstate fired federal workers -- at least, temporarily. They’re ringing alarm bells about the loss of manpower for this fire season. All of this puts Washington’s DNR into a tough spot. The department oversees wildfire prevention and response on state lands, usually working closely with the federal government. Soundside was joined by Dave Upthegrove, Washington's Commissioner of Public Lands, and State Forester George Geissler. Guests: Dave Upthegrove, Washington's Commissioner of Public Lands State Forester George Geissler Related Links: Fired Forest Service, Park Service workers say cuts will be felt on fire lines - ABC News USDA Reinstates Terminated Forest Service Workers with Pay | News | bozemandailychronicle.com USDA Status Update on Probationary Employees | Home Thank you to the supporters of KUOW, you help make this show possible! If you want to help out, go to kuow.org/donate/soundsidenotes Soundside is a production of KUOW in Seattle, a proud member of the NPR Network. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

National Park rangers are pushing back against firings of probationary employees. Two associations tell NPC acting director Jessica Bowron the firings were illegal and the Park Service should being the people back. For more of what's going on, we turn to the executive director of the Association of National Park Rangers, Bill Wade. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoicesSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

National Park rangers are pushing back against firings of probationary employees. Two associations tell NPC acting director Jessica Bowron the firings were illegal and the Park Service should being the people back. For more of what's going on, we turn to the executive director of the Association of National Park Rangers, Bill Wade. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The National Park Service has reported record breaking visitation last year. But agency employees are now being told to avoid talking about those numbers, according to a reported internal memo.

In this video, I explore the true meaning of “politics” and how understanding its roots can help us move beyond overwhelm and into action. We'll look at history for guidance—where systems fail us, where they offer hope, and how we can take small yet meaningful steps toward change.One of the voices that inspires me is Marija Gimbutas, a Lithuanian archaeologist and anthropologist who uncovered evidence of matriarchal societies in "Old Europe"—cultures rooted in peace, equality, and cooperation. Her work reminds me that another way is possible, and that we have the power to shape it.I'll share what I see as the two essential pillars for reclaiming our power: the path of prayer and the path of action. These together form a stable foundation for meaningful work in the world. Along the way, I'll provide links to resources—books, films, and organizations—that can help you connect with movements for change, including plant-protecting initiatives across the country.We are not powerless. Small steps matter. I'll show you how to start.————MY ONLINE COURSES

There is, across the country, some upheaval going on as the Trump administration works to reduce the size of the federal government. Whether you support that effort or oppose it, you can't deny there's not upheaval going on. That upheaval has hit all federal government agencies. At the National Park Service, seasonal ranger job offers were rescinded back in January. Roughly 1,000 probationary employees were fired on Valentine's Day. Another 700-1000 Park Service employees took up the administration's offer to resign now, but stay on the payroll through the end of the fiscal year. And this week the Park Service and other government agencies are expected to send their plans for a reduction-in-force to the administration. To discuss these developments, we've invited Rick Mossman, president of the Association of National Park Rangers, to join us.

About the Guest Kristen Brengel serves as the Senior Vice President of Government Affairs for the National Parks Conservation Association (NPCA). With extensive experience in advocacy and policy, Kristen has been a pivotal voice in the conservation and protection of national parks across the United States. Her work involves lobbying on Capitol Hill, engaging with international media, and championing environmental policies that safeguard public lands and ecosystems. Kristen is a long-time advocate for the protection of public lands, bringing awareness and action to issues impacting national parks and their staff. Episode Summary In this episode, we discuss the recent layoffs affecting the National Park Service and other land management agencies. Featuring Kristen Brengel of the National Parks Conservation Association, the episode looks into the devastating effects of the recent federal workforce reductions on desert public lands and conservation efforts. Listeners will gain a deeper understanding of the challenges facing park staff and the significant measures needed to restore these vital environmental protections. Chris and Kristen explore the impact of thousands of layoffs within the National Park Service and other federal agencies, critically affecting the management and protection of public lands in the desert and beyond. The conversation touches on the importance of seasonal and probationary workers to the National Park Service and how their abrupt terminations are undermining both visitor safety and conservation efforts. Kristen emphasizes the urgent need for public action to support park staff and shares strategies for pressuring Congress to reverse these harmful reductions. Key Takeaways Thousands of employees across federal land management agencies, including the National Park Service, have faced unjustified layoffs, severely impacting public lands protection. The layoffs include significant numbers of seasonal and probationary workers who provide essential services such as search and rescue, impacting visitor safety and park operations. Kristen Brengel emphasizes the critical role of Congress in reversing these layoffs and urges public action to pressure lawmakers to protect public land staff. Despite the bleak circumstances, there are positive discoveries in national parks, such as the finding of a new plant genus, Ovicula biradiata, in Big Bend National Park. The episode advises on the economic and cultural importance of national parks to local gateway communities, highlighting the broader impacts of workforce reductions. Notable Quotes "In just over a week, the Park Service has lost 9% of its staff. It's not like there is a plan in place to handle this decrease in staff." "Parks have a ripple effect on the economy. It's just pure math when you look at the economics of this." "It's not like the Park Service had an alternative plan. It's a dramatic and traumatic cut." "This is not the year to go on a rigorous hike. We want people to be safe, and we're worried about folks going into the summer." Resources National Parks Conservation Association https://www.npca.org/ Contact your Congressional representatives to advocate against federal layoffs in national parks: https://www.house.gov/representatives/find-your-representative 90 Miles from Needles' donation page: https://90milesfromneedles.com/donateBecome a desert defender!: https://90milesfromneedles.com/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We're sharing our bonus show this week that is usually available only to our Patreon supporters. This week's Beyond the IF continues our sobering discussion about the rapidly deteriorating state of science funding in America. The conversation took us deeper into the real-world impacts we're already seeing - from major universities canceling all graduate admissions to a student who landed a Park Service job only to have it eliminated before she could even start. These aren't hypothetical scenarios anymore; they're happening to real people right now. We also discussed the historical precedents for what happens when countries drive out their scientific talent. From Nazi Germany to the Soviet Union's collapse, the pattern is disturbingly familiar - and often ends with those experts enriching other nations instead. For those of you wondering what you can do, we shared information about the Stand Up for Science event on March 7th and other ways to make your voice heard. Your support is more important than ever as we navigate these challenging times. If you're one of our Patreon members, we thank you for being part of this community and allowing us to have these critical conversations that many aren't willing to have. If you're not a member yet, go to https://patreon.com/whattheif to find out what it's all about. Keep on iffin', Philip, Gaby & Matt

It was just over a week ago, on Valentine's Day, that the Trump administration wiped 1,000 employees off the National Park Service staff without any apparent strategy other than that they were dispensable staff still on probation and so lacking any real protection for being fired without cause. Those cuts swept across the 433 units of the National Park System, taking custodial workers, scientists, even lawyers. Today we're joined by one of the 1,000 who lost their jobs, Angela Moxley, who was just ten days shy of clearing probation when she lost her job at Harpers Ferry National Historical Park in West Virginia. Angela was a botanist, one of the many Park Service employees who you're not likely to encounter in a park, but as you'll hear, one whose job is just as vital as that of the park interpreter who takes you for a hike.

Names are important symbols, and President Trump is trying to change, or change back, quite a few. There's the “Gulf of America” of course, but also the reversion of a military base from Fort Liberty to Fort Bragg, and efforts by his administration to erase the “T” in LGBT on government websites. Drew Goins, Molly Roberts and Theodore Johnson discuss what names say about our cultural values, and whether renaming places again and again misses the point.Additional reading from the Washington Post:What is Fort Bragg? Hegseth restores Army base name from Fort Liberty.Park Service deletes trans references on Stonewall Inn monument pageYes, really, it's going to be called the Gulf of America.Subscribe to The Washington Post here.

Rural firefighters try to raise more money; The Arizona State Museum is in limbo; Park Service workers reflect on their sudden firing; and more...

Chancellor Melissa Aviles-Ramos, Feb. 12, 2025, A Message for Families Regarding Non-Local Law Enforcement, https://www.schools.nyc.gov/about-us/messages-for-familiesAP, Feb. 11, 2025, DOGE cuts $900 million from agency that tracks American students' academic progresshttps://apnews.com/article/ies-musk-doge-education-cuts-4461d7bdbe9d55c5a411d8465999b011Stars and Stripes, Feb. 7, 2025, DODEA adds lessons to ‘do not use' list sent to schools worldwidehttps://www.stripes.com/theaters/europe/2025-02-07/dodea-removes-book-pending-review-16753412.htmlScripps News, Feb. 14, 2025, Public schools face deadline to remove DEI policies or lose federal fundinghttps://www.scrippsnews.com/us-news/education/public-schools-face-deadline-to-remove-dei-policies-or-lose-federal-fundingWaPost, Feb. 14, 2025, Park Service deletes trans references on Stonewall Inn monument pagehttps://www.washingtonpost.com/travel/2025/02/13/stonewall-transgender-lgb-national-park-service/Stonewall National Monument website, https://www.nps.gov/ston/index.htmWash Post, Feb. 4, 2025 Here are the words putting science in the crosshairs of Trump's ordershttps://www.washingtonpost.com/science/2025/02/04/national-science-foundation-trump-executive-orders-words/On the Media, Feb.17, 2025. Donald Trump is Rewriting the Past.https://www.wnycstudios.org/podcasts/otm/articles/donald-trump-is-rewriting-the-past-plus-the-christian-groups-vying-for-political-powerMSNBC, Feb. 14,, 2025 At confirmation hearing, Linda McMahon refuses to say Black history courses will be allowedhttps://www.msnbc.com/the-reidout/reidout-blog/linda-mcmahon-black-history-dei-trump-rcna192301The 74, Feb. 13 Stunned Education Researchers Say Cuts Go Beyond DEI, Hitting Math, Literacyhttps://www.the74million.org/article/stunned-education-researchers-say-cuts-go-beyond-dei-hitting-math-literacy/Audrey Watters blog https://audreywatters.com/blog/ and https://2ndbreakfast.audreywatters.com/Audrey Watters on AI Foreclosure https://2ndbreakfast.audreywatters.com/ai-foreclosure/CNN, Oct. 13, 2024 With AI warning, Nobel winner joins ranks of laureates who've cautioned about the risks of their own workhttps://www.cnn.com/2024/10/13/health/nobel-laureate-warnings-ai/Statement on AI Risk, https://www.safe.ai/work/statement-on-ai-riskMichael Gerlach, AI Tools in Society: Impacts on Cognitive Offloading and the Future of Critical Thinkinghttps://www.mdpi.com/2075-4698/15/1/6 ¬¬¬¬¬¬

The Trump administration's determination to reduce the size of government regardless of the cost is having a hard impact on the National Park Service.   Last month the agency was forced to rescind job offers to seasonal workers, saw a hold placed on millions of dollars distributed through the Biden administration's Inflation Reduction Act to address climate change, been told to prepare a reduction-in-force list of employees, and ordered  to "hire no more than one employee for every four" let go.   There was a wee bit of good news late last week, with the decision Friday to allow the Park Service to hire 5,000 seasonal workers. But at the same time, the agency was told to fire 1,000 probationary workers.   Discussing these developments and their impact on the parks and the Park Service are Kristen Brengel, senior vice president of government affairs for the National Parks Conservation Association, and Phil Francis, chair of the Coalition to Protect America's National Parks. 

This week, host Vance Crowe and guest Gavin Spoor discuss the stories impacting the culture of agriculture. The MAHA movement can't be happy with the appointment of the USDA Chief of Staff is the former president of the oilseed lobbying group- we will talk about how farmers and the wider culture are viewing this.We also will discuss a story being totally ignored by the mainstream media- where ranchers have finally given in and agreed to stop grazing on on Point Reyes, a once iconic seascape in the US with cattle grazing.We also discuss the Bitcoin Land Price Report, hear about what Gavin believes that almost no one agrees with him on, and we will hear about his worthy adversary. Legacy Interviews - A service that records individuals and couples telling their life stories so that future generations can know their family history. https://www.legacyinterviews.com/experienceRiver.com - Invest in Bitcoin with Confidence https://river.com/signup?r=OAB5SKTP

Promotions and other career advancements would come faster for members of the U.S. Park Police under a bill in Congress. The U.S. Park Police Modernization Act was introduced in October. It would bring Park Service personnel practices in line with those of other federal law enforcement agencies. One group supporting this legislation: The National Police Association. Spokesman Betsy Brantner Smith joins me now. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Promotions and other career advancements would come faster for members of the U.S. Park Police under a bill in Congress. The U.S. Park Police Modernization Act was introduced in October. It would bring Park Service personnel practices in line with those of other federal law enforcement agencies. One group supporting this legislation: The National Police Association. Spokesman Betsy Brantner Smith joins me now. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoicesSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

A special in-person episode, recorded at the National Park Friends Alliance Fall Meeting, featuring Yosemite Conservancy President & CEO Frank Dean and Yosemite National Park Superintendent Cicely Muldoon. Frank and Cicely provide a unique moment for Who Runs This Park by showcasing the incredible partnership between Yosemite and the Yosemite Conservancy, offering insights into the vital relationships between national parks and their friends groups.This fun and laughter-filled conversation takes you behind the scenes of some fascinating stories, including the origins of the Starbucks in Yosemite Valley. We discuss the evolving and improving relationship between Yosemite and climbers (timely, as it's Rocktober!), the challenges and rewards of managing a park with over 800 miles of trails—including the iconic John Muir Trail (JMT) and Pacific Crest Trail (PCT)—and the significance of Yosemite as the birthplace of the conservation movement, where "it all began" for the National Park Service.We also explore the power of leading with empathy and humor, reflect on Cicely's 40 years of service with the Park Service, and reminisce about Frank and Cicely's friendship, which began nearly 35 years ago during the 1989 Exxon Valdez Oil Spill in Alaska.You can follow Who Runs This Park on TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, or YouTube, email us at info@whorunsthispark.com, or check us out online at whorunsthispark.com.Sign up for the Who Runs This Park newsletter at linktr.ee/whorunsthispark.Who Runs This Park is hosted and produced by Maddie Pellman, with music by Danielle Bees.

Interactive virtual models and 3D images will help the Park Service continue to monitor Pearl Harbor, preserving its legacy from the past.

Welcome to The Business of Giving. I'm your host, Denver Frederick. America's National Parks are some of the most iconic and cherished landscapes in the world, and their preservation requires constant care and innovative thinking. My guest today is someone who has played a pivotal role in protecting these treasures. Joining me is Will Shafroth, President and CEO of the National Park Foundation. As Will passionately shares, “We help the Park Service do things more creatively or innovatively, which as a nonprofit we're better able to do sometimes than a government agency.” In this episode, we'll explore how Will has transformed the Foundation's approach to fundraising, fostered partnerships that enhance the visitor experience, and worked to make National Parks more inclusive for all Americans. Stay tuned for an insightful conversation about the future of these incredible spaces.

John 17

John 17

A teen driver is involved in a crash that left two dead in east Las Vegas, Park Service provides update on Lake Mead fire that sank 15 vessels, Hundreds of Wynn Resorts Ltd. shareholders will split a $70 million class-action lawsuit settlement and more in 7@7.

John 17

Greg Armstrong, a talented ultra runner and founder of Run4Water, shares his journey into running and his experiences in various races. He recounts memorable moments, such as running Volstate 500k where he was mistaken as a homeless person and the Arkansas Traveler 100 where he had a challenging finish. Greg also talks about his transition to longer events and the importance of mental toughness in ultra running. He discusses a big event coming up for his non-profit organization Run4Water and his pursuit of making the US 24-hour ultra team. Greg Armstrong shares his favorite 24-hour race, the 2018 Desert Solstice, where he competed to make the U.S. team. He describes the competitive nature of track races and the experience of being lapped by faster runners. He recounts a race against Nick Curry where he pushed himself to run a 155.1-mile PR. Greg also discusses his work with Run4Water, a project that aims to provide clean water solutions in areas affected by the water crisis. Greg Armstrong discusses his hope to partner with the Park Service to provide water solutions for porters in Tanzania. He also shares plans to organize an event in May where elite ultra runners will summit the mountain with a group of porters and then participate in a race. The event is a celebration and also a chance to help raise money for a large upcoming project. Greg emphasizes the incredible endurance and resilience of people around the world who face water scarcity and the need for clean water. He talks about his daughter's organization, 84 Days, which provides feminine hygiene products and self-defense training to girls in Uganda. Greg also mentions his upcoming projects in Mexico and Guatemala. To DONATE please visit: www.run4water.net Chapters 00:00 Introduction and Greg Armstrong's Running Achievements 04:19 Greg's Running Journey and the Appeal of Ultra Running 09:46 Greg's Memorable Ultra Running Stories 16:47 The Growth of Run for Water and Greg's Nonprofit Initiative 25:35 Greg's Pursuit of Making the US 24-hour Ultra Team 30:55 The Thrill of Track Races and the 2018 Desert Solstice 32:18 Competing Against Elite Runners and Pushing Personal Limits 37:26 The Evolution of the 24-Hour Race and Increasing Competitiveness 44:25 Run for Water: Addressing the Global Water Crisis 01:04:10 Water Solutions for Porters in Tanzania 01:05:09 Elite Ultra Runners Summit Mount Kilimanjaro with Porters 01:06:07 Highlighting Porters' Work and Water Needs 01:12:39 Fundraising for Run for Water 01:13:59 Sustainable Options for a Poor Community in Mexico 01:15:27 Creating an Event in Mexico to Support the Monarch Butterflies 01:17:47 Empowering Girls in Uganda with 84 Days 01:19:38 Greg's Minimalist Approach to Nutrition

Along 1,600 miles of the Eastern Seaboard, from Maine to Florida, sea level rise, subsidence, and more potent storms are challenging the National Park Service to figure out how best to protect wildlife and their habitats, as well as historic structures, archaeological sites, modern infrastructure, landscapes, and, of course, visitors. In the coming months, the National Parks Traveler will be examining impacts tied to climate change and how the National Park Service is responding to them. We'll bring you the concerns of residents and communities that are left with the damage from hurricanes and the loss of tax revenues from tourism and trace the strain these events have on the Park Service staff and budget. We'll also talk to experts about how natural landscapes, such as barrier reefs and salt marshes, and wildlife are being impacted. We're going to have one of those conversations today with two experts from The Nature Conservancy: Dr. Alison Branco, TNC's Climate Adaptation Director, and Dr. Nicole Maher, the organization's Senior Coastal Scientist.

On today's newscast: In the midst of a nearly nationwide heat wave, firefighters respond to two blazes on the Apache-Sitgreaves National Forests and Kaibab National Forest; the Park Service releases the public comments it received in regards to a new management plan for Canyonlands National Park; and the University of Arizona will open an Indigenous language center.

"Does it really make any difference if you do believe something, but are at the same time intolerant of someone who does not agree or concur in your beliefs?" Key Moments 01:27  Meeting Freeman Tilden. 09:42 Starting a Career with Park Service at age 58. 11:54 Freeman Reevaluates National Park Service Principles and Writes "Interpreting Our Heritage" at age 71 14:59 Aiming for Visitor Engagement, Not Just Facts .17:00 Becaming a Team for National Park Service 22:58 Lasting Impact of 47 years of Documented Experiences. 26:06 Focusing on Environment, Change, and Tolerance. 27:03 Human Interference with Nature, Moral Poverty, and Creating Positive Experiences 33:03 Presentation about Freeman Tilden at Ranger Rendezvous 47 Resources Ranger Rendezvous Information National Park Service Bio of Freeman Tilden www.parkleaders.com https://parkleaders.com/about/ Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/theparkleaders/ Interpreting Freeman Tilden In this episode, Walt Dabney returns to share share his extraordinary experience as a student trainee. Walt is the retired director of Texas State Parks and a former National Park Service employee who held various roles during his distinguished career. He even spent an entire year working closely with the legendary Freeman Tilden. Tilden was an author and is known as the Father of Heritage Interpretation. Throughout his career, he wrote works like "Interpreting Our Heritage" and "The World in Debt," and collaborated with notable figures like H. L. Mencken. Imagine traveling 30,000 miles across the United States by car and train, visiting national parks, and engaging with park staff, colleges, and universities—all while being under the mentorship of one of the most influential figures in park interpretation. That's what Walt experienced in 1970. In our conversation, Walt reflects on the invaluable life lessons he learned from Freeman, the lasting friendship they forged, and how Freeman's teachings continue to influence park professionals and leaders to this day. For example, he emphasized the importance of personalized storytelling in park interpretation.  Tilden also believed that the National Park Service played a crucial role in the moral fabric of the country, advocating for self-improvement and quality over materialism. Freeman Tilden's insights go beyond just park interpretation. His guidance on self-change and passion-driven impact remains valuable life advice for us all. Make sure to listen to this episode to learn about the profound impact of Freeman Tilden on park interpretation and learn why his wisdom extends beyond parks to life itself. Thank you to Walt Dabney for taking us on a journey back to those transformative times and sharing insights into your own years interpreting Freeman Tilden.

Denise Stoner is proud to be a part of MUFON (Mutual UFO Network) Experiencer Resource Team (ERT) working under and is Assistant Director of Abduction Research, to Director Dr. George Medich.  She also holds the following positions as, Florida MUFON Field Investigator, StarTeam Member, SSD and is also State Director of FL MUFON.She co-authored and published her first book “The Alien Abduction Files” released in May of 2013 with Kathleen Marden.She holds educational forums both public and private gatherings for abduction experiencers.  Her involvement in the UFO field spans more than 40 years.    Denise has an educational background in business and psychology, and is a certified hypnotist specializing in regressive hypnosis. She began her research in hypnosis under Dr. Bob Romack, (Denver, CO). They worked together for five years on pain control, smoking cessation, and past life regression research. Denise worked for 8+ years in Denver, CO at Department of Interior, National Park Service for the Saudi Arabia Team. Their task was to do the Planning, Design, and Construction of the first National Park in that country. It is called the Asir. The team of 4 won an award from Park Service for their work. Denise was in charge of the $3 million contract, working with the Embassies involved with visas and foreign travel, was liaison between the 4 team members and Saudi requests, protocol, and more. Her “retirement” from the Federal Government - after spending 12 years with the US Navy doing background investigations for new recruits wanting to enter the Nuclear Power School - has allowed her to expand her work with UFO research and investigation. Denise has appeared on TV to include the Travel Channel, PBS Weird Florida with Charlie Carlson, and been a guest on many radio shows.  Denise is currently moving forward with some exciting new projects including work she is doing in the field of Past Lives involving possible abductions along with paranormal experiences and how they might all connect in past to present history.Denise facilitates private workshops for Experiencers in the Orlando FL area along with MUFON meetings for the public. Her Hypnosis certification was earned through Hypnosis & Regression Training at the Hypnotic Research Society by Dr. Ronald P. De Vasto. Advanced Forensic Regression study through the National Guild of Hypnotists, Inc. by Donald J. Mottin.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/night-dreams-talk-radio--2788432/support.

In this episode, Center Director Mark Movsesian interviews religion journalist Kelsey Dallas about the controversy that arose last month when the National Park Service refused to allow the Knights of Columbus to celebrate an annual Memorial Day Mass at a national cemetery in Virginia. The Park Service said it was enforcing the rules against “demonstrations”;… The post Legal Spirits 060: Memorial Day, the Knights of Columbus, and the National Park Service appeared first on LAW AND RELIGION FORUM.

Forum reporter Patrick Springer joins host Mike McFeely to talk about the controversy over wild horses in Theodore Roosevelt National Park in western North Dakota. The National Park Service for years has wanted to remove the horses, saying they aren't native, while horse advocates and park visitors overwhelmingly want the creatures to stay.  The issue came to a head the last couple of years when it became apparent current park administration was intent on removing the entire herd. U.S. Sen. John Hoeven of North Dakota finally announced in April the horses would stay, after he used some powerful levers to pressure the Park Service. Springer has covered the story intently for years. He says the issue might not be completely resolved even yet. 

As the National Mammal and a symbol closely tied to the National Park Service and the national parks, bison are highly revered in the United States. But that doesn't mean they're free of controversy. Recently the staff at Yellowstone National Park released the Final Environmental Impact Statement on a bison management plan for the park. The preferred alternative in that plan calls for a bison herd ranging in number between "about 3,500 to 6,000 animals after calving." It also calls for a continuation of the transfer of bison to tribal lands via the Bison Conservation Transfer Program, and continuation of both a "tribal treaty harvest" and public hunting outside the park to regulate numbers. But is that a good plan? We're going to discuss that today with Erik Molvar, the executive director of the Western Watersheds Project which long has followed how the Park Service has managed bison in Yellowstone. 

Did you know that there are some five and a half million acres of our National Parks that are underwater? There are sunken ships and aircraft. There are remnants of industry and mining. There are coral reefs and underwater caverns. The Submerged Resources Center of the National Park Service is where these water resources are explored and documented. Underwater photography is crucial in the understanding of what lies beneath the surface, and images taken by the SRC Staff are essential not only for mapping and documenting, but to help the parks address issues and solve problems.  This week, the Traveler's Lynn Riddick sits down with Bret Seymour, the Submerged Resources Center Deputy Chief and Audio-Visual Production Specialist who has spent some thirty years with the Park Service, photographing the mysteries below the surface.

With the summer vacation season not too far off, no doubt many National Park Service Superintendents are trying to figure out how to manage the crowds and avoid impacts to natural resources in the park system.  With Memorial Day weekend just two weeks away, and Congress in its usual battles over how to fund the federal government, we wanted to take a look at how the funding situation looks for the Park Service. To help understand the financial setting across the National Park System, we've asked Phil Francis, from the Coalition to Protect America's National Parks to provide some insights.  

Smokies Life, which most of you who closely follow Great Smoky Mountains National Park know was previously known as the Great Smoky Mountains Association, produces educational and informational materials for Great Smoky Mountains National Park. This week we're joined by Laurel Rematore, the chief executive officer of Smokies Life, to discuss the name change as well as how her organization lends a big hand to the Park Service staff at Great Smoky. 

On today's PreserveCast we're sitting down with Angela Crenshaw, Director of the Maryland Park Service. We'll hear about Angela's background, the State Park system, famous Marylanders, and the important work she's doing leading the department that safeguards Maryland's cultural and natural resources. 

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?  Equating national parks with nature is obvious, but making a similar connection with history and culture might not be so obvious. And maybe that lack of appreciation for America's culture and history explains why the National Park Service has been struggling with protecting and interpreting those aspects of the parks. The National Parks Conservation Association has just released a report calling for a Cultural Resource Challenge, one that asks for a hefty investment by Congress in the Park Service's cultural affairs wing. We explore that report in today's episode with Alan Spears, NPCA's senior director for cultural affairs.

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.  The programs featuring the release of Kemp's ridley sea turtle hatchlings at Padre Island offered young and old a crash course in conservation of a species that has narrowly avoided extinction, and remains highly endangered. In 2019, before the COVID 19 pandemic shuttered the public hatchling releases at Padre Island, an estimated 16,000 people viewed the releases. In 2020, online video presentations of the events attracted about 1 million viewers.  Yet despite the strong conservation value of these events, not just in public education but in the tens of thousands of hatched turtles released to the ocean, advocates of the program say the national seashore's Sea Turtle Science and Recovery program itself is endangered. For after the Park Service recruited Dr. Donna Shaver to build that sea turtle science program, a role that saw her lifted to international prominence, the agency now seems to be squandering her success and hoping she will retire.  What's been going on at Padre Island since 2021 has drawn the concern of the Sierra Club's Lone Star chapter, based in Austin, Texas. It recently led a petition drive to raise concerns over the direction of the sea turtle program. Dr. Craig Nazor, the chapter's conservation chair, recently met with Kate Hammond, the Director of the Park Services Intermountain Region, to question the direction of the program. 

It is unclear what the basis of the suit is. www.patreon.com/stevelehto

While most visitors to the National Park System view the parks as incredibly beautiful places, or places rich in culture and history, there's a lot that goes on behind the scenes within the parks, and with the National Parks Service.  Traveler editor Kurt Repanshek has closely followed the parks and the Park Service for more than 18 years. Over that timespan, he's seen a lot of changes in the parks, and the agency itself. In today's show we are going to offer a sort of “State of the Parks” with you. After all, as much as you enjoy the park system, you have a vested interest in their oversight and management. 

In this month's news round-up, we take a look at some concerns about the ranks of National Park Service employees: morale is lower than that of other federal employees, and Park Service criminal investigators are down by nearly half. Plus, actor Pierce Brosnan has been busted for going off-trail in a thermal area of Yellowstone, a Mexican Wolf has been spotted in Valles Caldera after nearly 100 years away, and more.  Visit LLBean.com to find great gear for exploring the national parks.  Use promo code PARKS20 to get $20 off your next purchase of $200 or more at solostove.com.