By Crystal Donaldson
BLOOMINGTON – On the heels of the resignation of nine National Park Service board members, one central Illinois woman is eager to hit the road for two years to complete what she calls a passion project.
Summer Slevin and her dog, named Rocky Road Trip, are living in a converted van for two years and visiting all 59 national parks. An account of each park’s story and history will be told in her new podcast, Nat Park Stories, beginning in July. Summer said the podcasts will include interviews from park rangers and historians along with her own view of the importance of the landmarks.
“I really, really think that my passion for national parks comes from hearing those stories at different national parks. If I can inspire that passion in people I think; life goal complete. So I really want to encourage people to visit, but also protect the national parks that we have,” said podcast creator Summer Slevin.
Although the National Park Service entered a period of transition by losing nine board members Monday night, summer said it’s always a good time to raise awareness for parks.
“I think that its a very important time to protect our national parks right now, and to raise awareness about the importance of protecting our national parks. I think that’s regardless of administration. It’s always a prevalent cause and it will always be important to protect our national parks.”
A Kick Starter for Nat Park Stories launches in May.
Crystal Donaldson can be reached at crystal.donaldson@cumulus.com.
