August 25 is the birthday of our National Parks...and Kenny, what are the odds?! In this episode, Bonnie and Kenny talk about the history of the parks (including the not great parts), delve into interesting park facts, and have a special guest chat! Our family loves the national parks, Kenny is trying to make it to all of them before he's 35, our mom taught about them and connected kids with park rangers as an elementary school teacher, and our famed Aunt Shannon, who we have mentioned in previous podcasts even worked in two of them. We have Shannon join us to talk about the parks and all things dope about nature.
Highlights include:
2:07 - National Parks History
8:17 - Mentioning it all - including the racial disparities in parks/white supremacists in conservationist history
14:23 - 10 most visited parks in 2019
16:15 - 10 least visited parks
23:55 - 5 fun park facts
26:27 - Special guest Shannon
31:46 - How Shannon made a career in nature/parks
39:46 - Exploring in your own backyard
41:42 - Relationship test = boats
42:43 - National parks/monuments/spaces means education
44:15 - St. Louis Gateway Arch stories
46:40 - Future podcast topics (including Phenology = the study of periodic plant and animal life cycle events and how these are influenced by seasonal and interannual variations in climate, as well as habitat factors)
52:18 - How to get into nature
53:53 - *Important thing to keep in mind living on the Earth*
55:10 - Favorite Bonnie & Kenny stories
Dope Park Links:
(see Anchor page for easiest to read formatting)
General Info:
National Geographic Park Facts
Obama's Every Kid in a Park Program
Racist roots, lack of diversity haunt national parks
Historic Park Figures:
Places Shannon Mentioned:
Battle Creek Outdoor Education Center
How to help the parks:
6 Ways to Give to National Parks that Actually Make a Difference