National Parks Traveler Podcast | Chief Storyteller

National Parks Traveler Podcast | Chief Storyteller

April 26, 2026 · 1h 3m · Season 8 · Episode 371

About this episode

The episode features a discussion with Tom Medema, a former ranger and Chief Storyteller, about interpretation and inspiration in the National Park System.

National parks provide us with so many services, from providing us with inspiration, allowing us to leave our stress behind for a few hours or a few days, offering a recreational outlet, and enabling us to pursue hobbies from photography to other artistic endeavors, and looking for wildlife. The parks also allow us to go back into history through living history programs and interpretation, provided both by rangers and by organizations that produce interpretive materials. They also serve as a great background for storytellers. Today our guest is a former ranger who held the informal title of Chief Storyteller. Tom Medema until recently was Associate Director for the National Park Service, with a focus on interpretation in the parks. We'll discuss all things interpretation and inspiration tied to the National Park System.

People in this episode

Host: Kurt Repanshek

Guest: Tom Medema

Topics covered

Keywords

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: National Park Service

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