Podcast
The Secret Lives of Parks
Hosted by National Parks Conservation Association · EN
Unusual stories from some of America’s most beloved and inspirational places — our national parks.
11episodes
Episodes
Newest firstAll episodes
Of Hawks and Hellcats
Oct 3100:27:17Tap to summarizeFor most national park enthusiasts, a who’s who of early park champions might include names like John Muir, Teddy Roosevelt and Stephen Mather, among others. One notable omission from that list is a truly fearless and outspoken suffragist turned environmental activist who left behind a considerable conservation legacy ― all while remaining largely unknown to park supporters today.Host Todd Christopher travels to Hawk Mountain Sanctuary ― the world’s first refuge for birds of prey ― to talk with sanctuary president Sean Grace about Rosalie Edge’s vision there, and speaks with biographer Dyana Furmansky to better understand what drove this remarkable woman and the sizable conservation legacy she left behind. Original theme music by Chad FischerEpisode 48: “Of Hawks and Hellcats” was produced by Todd ChristopherThe Secret Lives of Parks is brought to you by: Todd Christopher – Producer & Host Bev Stanton – Online ProducerThe Secret Lives of Parks is a production of the National Parks Conservation Association. With more than 1.9 million members and supporters, NPCA is the nation’s only independent, nonpartisan advocacy organization dedicated to protecting national parks. Learn more at npca.org
Transcribe →Parks and the Art of Paying Attention
Sep 3000:34:41Tap to summarizeStudy after study has shown that time in nature enriches us mentally and physically. Just a couple of hours outdoors each week can improve our mood, reduce our stress, boost our immune systems and deepen our sleep, among many other benefits. But life has a way of distracting us from simple pleasures like hiking and camping. The demands of work, school and family can overtake our best intentions and our waking hours.Award-winning journalist Nicolas Brulliard devised a plan to get himself into nature on four camping trips on the same trail, all taken on work nights over the course of a year — one in each season. He wrote about his experiences in a National Parks magazine article, then returned to the trail and reflected on his adventures with host Jennifer Errick. He shares some of his main takeaways, including the value of attention, the significance of sitting instead of walking, and how to hike like a kid instead of an adult.The Secret Lives of Parks is a production of the National Parks Conservation Association. Episode 47, Parks and the Art of Paying Attention, was produced by Jennifer Errick, with help from Todd Christopher, Bev Stanton and Linda Coutant.Original theme music by Chad Fischer. Sound effects from Rocky Mountain National Park by Nicolas Brulliard.Read Nicolas’ award-winning National Parks magazine story, “Four Walks in the Park,” at npca.org/fourwalksLearn about the book that inspired the journey, “A Year in the Woods: Twelve Small Journeys into Nature” by Torbjørn Ekelund, at goodreads.com/book/show/57731687-a-year-in-the-woodsLearn more about this podcast and listen to the rest of our stories at thesecretlivesofparks.orgFor more than a century, the National Parks Conservation Association has been protecting and enhancing America’s national parks for present and future generations. With more than 1.6 million members and supporters, NPCA is the nation’s only independent, nonpartisan advocacy organization dedicated to protecting national parks.You can join the fight to preserve our national parks. Learn more and join us at npca.org
Transcribe →The Bird Nerds of Big Ivy
Aug 1900:39:21Tap to summarizeNeotropical migratory songbirds spend the winter in Central and South America and travel each spring to their breeding grounds in the U.S. and Canada. These species are teeny creatures on average, often weighing under two ounces each, yet their travel plans are bold — some make roundtrips of more than 10,000 miles in a single year. But this colorful cohort of birds, from warblers to thrushes to tanagers, face habitat loss from climate change and development at both ends of their range.But the Big Ivy region of the Pisgah National Forest in North Carolina is a rare intact forest that provides a welcoming breeding ground for many of these birds, including species whose outlook has been especially bleak. This episode, host Jennifer Errick speaks with NPCA Southern Appalachian Director Jeff Hunter and Wildlife Research Program Coordinator Steve Goodman on the 415,000 birdsongs they’ve captured in the Big Ivy and how they’re using the beautiful recordings to protect this rare and beautiful Appalachian forest.The Secret Lives of Parks is a production of the National Parks Conservation Association.Episode 46, The Bird Nerds of Big Ivy, was produced by Jennifer Errick, with help from Todd Christopher, Bev Stanton and Linda Coutant.Original theme music by Chad Fischer.Learn more about the campaign to create a Craggy National Scenic Area at IHeartPisgah.org.Learn more about NPCA’s Day of Action at npca.org/everyparkLearn more about this podcast and listen to the rest of our stories at thesecretlivesofparks.orgFor more than a century, the National Parks Conservation Association has been protecting and enhancing America’s national parks for present and future generations. With more than 1.6 million members and supporters, NPCA is the nation’s only independent, nonpartisan advocacy organization dedicated to protecting national parks.You can join the fight to preserve our national parks. Learn more and join us at npca.org
Transcribe →Florida’s Untenable Alcatraz
Jul 1700:42:15Tap to summarizeIn late June, Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier announced that the state was moving forward on plans — negotiated without public or Tribal input — to build a tent-based immigration enforcement facility in the Western Everglades. This facility is designed to hold between 3,000 and 5,000 detainees on an isolated airstrip on the border of Big Cypress National Preserve at an estimated cost of $450 million a year. By July 2, just days after the public first learned about these plans, the facility was already open and holding several hundred people.Ironically, the isolated jetport is the exact site where the National Parks Conservation Association once stood side by side with Marjory Stoneman Douglas and many others to defeat the development of a massive airport in 1968. This effort led directly to the creation of Big Cypress National Preserve. Two key stakeholders were part of that effort and have lived in and protected this landscape for millennia — the Miccosukee and Seminole Tribes who continue to speak out against the misuse of their homelands.This episode, host Jennifer Errick speaks with Curtis Osceola, senior executive policy advisor to the chairman of the Miccosukee Business Council; William “Popeye” Osceola, secretary of the Miccosukee Business Council; Dr. Melissa Abdo, NPCA Sun Coast regional director; and Marisa Carrozzo, NPCA senior coastal and wildlife program manager.The Secret Lives of Parks is a production of the National Parks Conservation Association.Episode 45, Florida’s Untenable Alcatraz, was produced by Jennifer Errick, with help from Todd Christopher, Bev Stanton and Linda Coutant.Special thanks to Edward Ornstein, Deputy General Counsel and Tallahassee Embassy Director for the Miccosukee Tribe. Special thanks also to John Adornado, Cara Capp, Kristin Gladd and Kyle Groetzinger.Original theme music by Chad Fischer.Learn more about NPCA’s opposition to Alligator Alcatraz and speak out at npca.org/alligatoralcatrazLearn more about this podcast and listen to the rest of our stories at thesecretlivesofparks.orgFor more than a century, the National Parks Conservation Association has been protecting and enhancing America’s national parks for present and future generations. With more than 1.6 million members and supporters, NPCA is the nation’s only independent, nonpartisan advocacy organization dedicated to protecting national parks.And we’re proud of it, too.You can join the fight to preserve our national parks. Learn more and join us at npca.org
Transcribe →The Sum of Its Parts
Jun 2700:31:32Tap to summarizeEarlier this month, the National Park Service had a major victory in a place you’ve probably never heard of and didn’t know was in danger. The focus of this good news is a humble warehouse on the outskirts of Charles Town, West Virginia, that houses millions of rare artifacts and employs a dream team of specialized staff devoted to restoring and conserving America’s history.In March, the Department of Government Efficiency made plans to cancel the lease on this Park Service facility, throwing the future of these rare objects into question. Though the collections can stay in their specialized facility, for now, we investigate the highly skilled conservators, archivists and technicians who keep the country’s most precious papers and keepsakes from falling apart, and we delve into why “we need to be able to treat our history with the respect that it deserves, because that's how you honor the people who lived it.”This episode, host Jennifer Errick speaks with Director Brendan Bray, Supervisory Conservator and Manager Theresa Voellinger, Textile Conservator Anne Ennes, Book and Paper Conservator Allison Holcomb, Inorganics Conservator Nicole Peters, Taxidermist and Organics Conservator Fran Ritchie, Archivist Nancy Russell, Collections Manager and Museum Specialist Kyle Bryner, and NPCA Senior Director for Cultural Resources Alan Spears.The Secret Lives of Parks is a production of the National Parks Conservation Association.Episode 44, The Sum of Its Parts, was produced by Jennifer Errick, with help from Todd Christopher, Bev Stanton and Linda Coutant.Original theme music by Chad Fischer.Special thanks to all the National Park Service staff in Charles Town and Harpers Ferry who took time to talk with me and answer questions about their work.Learn more about the National Park Service’s museum collections and read their Conserve O Grams at https://www.nps.gov/subjects/museums/conserve-o-grams.htmLearn more about this podcast and listen to the rest of our stories at thesecretlivesofparks.orgFor more than a century, the National Parks Conservation Association has been protecting and enhancing America’s national parks for present and future generations.And we’re proud of it, too.You can join the fight to preserve our national parks. Learn more and join us at npca.org
Transcribe →Return to the Bat Cave
May 3000:34:22Tap to summarizeOver a decade ago, an explorer conducting surveys at Grand Canyon National Park noticed what appeared to be an opening in a red rock cliff face high above him in the park’s remote backcountry. His team discovered a cave that appeared, by all accounts, to have been completely untouched by people. Researchers found a series of passageways with gypsum formations and a variety of wildlife, including thousands and thousands of mummified bats.In episode 4 of the podcast, we talked with several experts about this remarkable cave and its ancient remains. Since then, researchers have returned and ventured into a second cave, even more difficult to explore than the first, and made more exciting discoveries. This episode, host Jennifer Errick speaks Carol Chambers, professor of wildlife ecology at Northern Arizona University; Shawn Thomas, volunteer caver and bat expert; and Stephen Eginoire, photojournalist. We learn about the implications for science, the extreme lengths the team takes to preserve the cave, and profound feeling of being the first person to set foot in an unmapped place.The Secret Lives of Parks is a production of the National Parks Conservation Association. Episode 43, Return to the Bat Cave, was produced by Jennifer Errick, with help from Todd Christopher, Bev Stanton and Linda Coutant.Special thanks to Vincent Santucci.Original theme music by Chad Fischer. Read the Grand Canyon research team’s most recent paper at: parks.berkeley.edu/psf/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/psf_401_chambers_web.pdfRead Stephen Eginoire’s story for the Grand Canyon Trust at: www.grandcanyontrust.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/AdvocateMagFall2024Digital.pdfLearn more about this podcast and listen to the rest of our stories at thesecretlivesofparks.orgFor more than a century, the National Parks Conservation Association has been protecting and enhancing America’s national parks for present and future generations. And we’re proud of it, too.You can join the fight to preserve our national parks. Learn more and join us at npca.org
Transcribe →Squeezed Thin: Park Staff in Upheaval
Apr 22, 202500:47:52Tap to summarizeMultiple staffing crises are harming the National Park Service, including mass layoffs, a hiring freeze, forced retirements and delays in onboarding seasonal employees — and a new reduction in force could be imminent. Interior Secretary Doug Burgum announced plans late last Friday to drastically consolidate land management agencies across the country, and a new round of terminations could affect every level of park management.These reckless, wide-ranging job cuts come at a time when national parks are more popular than ever. How are parks — and people — coping under these ongoing employee upheavals?This episode, host Jennifer Errick speaks with John Garder, senior director of budget and appropriation at the National Parks Conservation Association, and Cassidy Jones, former park ranger and visitation program manager for the National Parks Conservation Association, on how job cuts and insecurity are harming parks and morale, some of the long-term consequences for resource protection, and what people can do to support park staff.The Secret Lives of Parks is a production of the National Parks Conservation Association.Episode 42, Squeezed Thin: Park Staff in Upheaval, was produced by Jennifer Errick, with help from Todd Christopher, Bev Stanton and Linda Coutant.Special thanks to Angela Gonzalez, Cory MacNulty and Abbey Robertson.Original theme music by Chad Fischer.Read Cassidy Jones’ recent blog story on how to prepare to visit understaffed parks at npca.org/prepareLearn more about this podcast and listen to the rest of our stories at thesecretlivesofparks.org, including one of Cassidy’s favorite winter adventures in episode 15, The Little Jewel Box.Remember, NPCA’s silent auction is live until April 28, and you can bid on your own podcast-style audio story, for you and about you, as well as many other cool experiences and keepsakes, at npca.org/auctionFor more than a century, the National Parks Conservation Association has been protecting and enhancing America’s national parks for present and future generations.And we’re proud of it, too.You can join the fight to preserve our national parks. Learn more and join us at npca.org.
Transcribe →Bonus: On the Trail with Amy
Apr 15, 202500:16:46Tap to summarizeOn April 18, the National Parks Conservation Association will host a 10-day silent auction. As part of this fundraiser, The Secret Lives of Parks cohost Jennifer Errick is offering to produce a podcast-style audio story for one winning bidder or couple, modeled after the stories we create here. Today, we’re sharing what this kind of keepsake can sound like, with excerpts from Jennifer’s recent conversation with NPCA Senior Vice President of Communications Amy Hagovsky. If you'd like to be the star of your own audio story, check out npca.org/auction. There are plenty of other great items you can bid on, too, from a fly-fishing trip to a set of beautiful T-shirts to a giant box of cheese. All the proceeds will benefit NPCA’s mission to protect national parks. On the Trail with Amy is a production of the National Parks Conservation Association. Today's special episode was produced by me, Jennifer Errick, with help from Todd Christopher and Bev Stanton. Special thanks to Molly Green.Music by Chad Fischer.Learn more about this podcast and listen to the rest of our stories at thesecretlivesofparks.orgFor more than a century, the National Parks Conservation Association has been protecting and enhancing America’s national parks for present and future generations. With more than 1.6 million members and supporters, NPCA is the nation’s only independent, nonpartisan advocacy organization dedicated to protecting national parks.And we’re proud of it, too.You can join the fight to preserve our national parks. Learn more and join us at npca.org
Transcribe →On the Road Again... and Again
Apr 8, 202500:36:02Tap to summarizeTo celebrate the centennial of the National Park Service in 2016, journalist Conor Knighton visited all 59 capital-N, capital-P parks in one year — turning that experience into a series of "On the Trail" segments for CBS Sunday Morning and, later, into the New York Times best-selling memoir "Leave Only Footprints."Host Todd Christopher interviews Conor about that year and how his year in the parks shaped his understanding of our public lands, and of himself as well.Original theme music by Chad FischerThe Secret Lives of Parks is brought to you by: Todd Christopher – Producer & Host Jennifer Errick – Producer & Host Bev Stanton – Online ProducerThe Secret Lives of Parks is a production of the National Parks Conservation Association. With more than 1.6 million members and supporters, NPCA is the nation’s only independent, nonpartisan advocacy organization dedicated to protecting national parks. Learn more at npca.org
Transcribe →The Angel of Glen Echo
Mar 28, 202500:33:51Tap to summarizeThe Clara Barton National Historic Site in Glen Echo, Maryland, was the first national park site created to honor a woman and one of just 13 such sites across the country. Barton lived and worked in this corner of Maryland thanks to a unique partnership with a local arts institution known as Glen Echo Park, whose founders built the stately building to honor her as a celebrity in residence. It served as a multipurpose homestead and the American Red Cross headquarters during the last 15 years of Barton’s life.But now, the building is in serious disrepair and in need of numerous upgrades. Ironically, the fruitful partnership between Barton’s site and Glen Echo Park led to an inappropriate plan that would have minimized Barton’s legacy. A team of historians banded together to improve the process and share the importance of this American hero, who devoted her life to serving others while breaking barriers and revolutionizing disaster response in the process.This episode, host Jennifer Errick speaks with Liz Witherspoon, co-founder and CEO of the Clara Barton Fund and board member for the American Red Cross for Montgomery, Frederick and Howard Counties in Maryland; as well as Pam Goddard, senior program director for the Mid-Atlantic region at the National Parks Conservation Association. They discuss Clara Barton’s remarkable legacy, the state of her homestead and headquarters, the new group helping to preserve her history, and the puppet show concept that galvanized them to take action.The Secret Lives of Parks is a production of the National Parks Conservation Association. Episode 40, The Angel of Glen Echo, was produced by Jennifer Errick with help from Todd Christopher, Bev Stanton, Linda Coutant and Abbey Robertson. Original theme music by Chad Fischer. Learn more about this podcast and listen to the rest of our stories at thesecretlivesofparks.org. Hear about another inspiring woman who broke all kinds of glass ceilings in episode 35, The Woman Behind the Weekend, on the incomparable Frances Perkins. And listen to more about Pam Goddard and her work to preserve the Chesapeake Bay watershed in episode 24, The Beacon.Podcast listeners can get a 10% discount at npca.org/store for just a few more days, until March 31, by using code PARKSPOD at checkout. For more than a century, the National Parks Conservation Association has been protecting and enhancing America’s national parks for present and future generations. With more than 1.6 million members and supporters, NPCA is the nation’s only independent, nonpartisan advocacy organization dedicated to protecting national parks.And we’re proud of it, too.You can join the fight to preserve our national parks. Learn more and join us at npca.org
Transcribe →