Ten minutes of news from America's national parks, and what it looks like from inside the ranger's hat. Hosted by Mark Tezel, a retired National Park Service ranger with nearly forty years on the job.
64 National Parks, 433 Park Service Units: What the Label Really Means
Sixty-four places carry the title “National Park.” The National Park Service manages 433. This episode explains what the title actually means: only Congress can create a national park, the other 369 units go by about twenty different titles, and the label tells you far less about a place than most people think. Plus, from the ranger’s chair: what a career that started at San Antonio Missions, a World Heritage Site, taught me about titles and places. Recorded ahead of time, so there are no new...
28 Oct 2026
Nearly 1,500 Park Projects Called “Low Priority,” Chiricahua Is Park #64, and Scotty's Castle Tours Return
Nearly 1,500 national park projects sit on a Park Service “low priority” list, according to a Center for Western Priorities map reported by Source NM. Chiricahua is now America's 64th national park, signed into law October 20. And Scotty's Castle in Death Valley returns to the tour schedule, exterior only. Plus Yellowstone's record thermal-area trash haul and restoration work at Minidoka National Historic Site. From the ranger's chair: what I saw inside Scotty's Castle in 2018, and what it sa...
21 Oct 2026
East Potomac Court Fight, Organ Pipe Water Stations, and ATVs in Gates of the Arctic
A federal judge halts tree cutting at East Potomac Golf Links in Washington, D.C., and the president announces plans to close and rebuild the course. The Park Service denies Humane Borders' request to maintain water stations at Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument. And the Park Service proposes letting Anaktuvuk Pass residents use off-road vehicles for subsistence in Gates of the Arctic National Park and Preserve. Plus quick updates on a horse living with a Yellowstone bison herd and the reope...
14 Oct 2026
The North Rim, Bent's Old Fort, and the Arch.
The Park Service is taking public comment on the Grand Canyon's North Rim and Bent's Old Fort, the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation has sent its comments on the triumphal arch, and the Chiricahua National Park Act still awaits a signature. Plus closures, Fat Bear Week, and a Ranger's Chair on Section 106. Corrections: parknews@rangerpampaw.com Subscribe to Park Report Extra for links and details. https://ranger-pampaw.kit.com/bf11579cf3
7 Oct 2026
Big Bend Wall Blocked, Chiricahua Awaits, and $26 Million in Park Work Canceled
A federal judge blocks border wall construction across the Big Bend region, including the national park. Chiricahua National Monument is one signature away from becoming America's 64th national park. And the Interior Department quietly canceled about 130 park partner projects worth nearly $26 million. Plus quick updates on MLB and Grand Teton and the collapse of Hawaiʻi's Hōlei Sea Arch. And from the ranger's chair: what a national park redesignation really changes, and what it doesn't.
30 Sept 2026
Border Walls, Backroom Deals, and a Park Service Reorg: Three Stories You Need to Know
A federal pause on border wall construction inside Big Bend National Park expires this week, and it's not the only park unit facing new wall construction. A quiet land deal inside Yosemite is drawing bipartisan opposition in Congress — and MLB wants to build a ballpark inside Grand Teton. Leaked Interior Department documents describe a plan to reorganize how all 430 national park units are run. Plus, from the ranger's chair: why reorganizations handed down from Washington rarely deliver what ...
23 Sept 2026
Yellowstone Loses Cam Sholly, Congress Punts the Park Budget, and Denali Is (Almost) Whole Again
The first episode of Ranger PamPaw's Park Report. Yellowstone Superintendent Cam Sholly is leaving the National Park Service after nearly eight years running the flagship park. Congress has funded the government through December 11, pushing a nasty park budget fight into the lame-duck session. A second flash flood set back Grand Canyon's water recovery, and the park now says South Rim water returns around Thanksgiving. And the Pretty Rocks bridge in Denali is finally complete, five years afte...
16 Sept 2026
Trailer: A New Show From Inside the Parks
Every week, something happens in a national park that makes the news. Most coverage tells you what happened. This show tells you why. Ranger PamPaw's Park Report is a ten-minute news show from Mark Tezel, a retired National Park Service ranger with nearly forty years on the job. Three stories that matter, then the Ranger's Chair: how it looks from the inside. First episode Wednesday, September 23, at noon Central. Subscribe now so it's waiting for you. Questions, corrections, and stories from...
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