Most park visitors want to do the right thing. But wanting to and knowing how aren’t always the same.

In this episode, host Mark Tezel — Ranger PamPaw — delivers the practical, honest advice that rangers wish they could give every visitor: what Leave No Trace actually means beyond the slogan, the real stories behind the rules that seem arbitrary, and why some of the most obvious-seeming rules are the hardest to enforce.

You’ll hear about the three visitor behaviors rangers deal with most — the wildlife selfie, the trail shortcut, and the feeding of wildlife — and what rangers genuinely understand about why they happen. You’ll also learn how visitors can actively help parks survive, and what Ranger PamPaw truly wishes he could say to every person who walks through the gate.

This is Episode 5 of Season 1 — the episode where Ranger PamPaw has earned the right to give some real advice. And he does.

Ranger PamPaw Podcast is hosted by Mark Tezel — known to his grandkids as Ranger PamPaw — after nearly four decades with the National Park Service. New episodes drop every other Wednesday.

Part of the Tezels on the Road family.

www.tezelsontheroad.com

Thanks for joining me on the trail today.

If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe, leave a review, and share it with someone who loves our national parks as much as you do.

If you have a question, a story, or a park memory you’d like to share, I’d love to hear from you.

Visit www.tezelsontheroad.com/rangerpampaw or email me at rangerpampaw@tezelsontheroad.com.

Thanks for walking the trail with me.

I’ll see you in the park.