Podcasts Government Talking Michigan Transportation A pioneering agreement between Michigan and federal government for national parks

A pioneering agreement between Michigan and federal government for national parks

Published: April 21, 2022, 1 a.m.

On this week\u2019s Talking Michigan Transportation podcast, conversations with two State of Michigan officials about the announcement of an agreement with the National Park Service (NPS) to work together and develop programs for more sustainable and equitable travel to NPS lands.\xa0

The announcement coincided with other Earth Week events across the state and featured a visit from Charles F. Sams III, who was sworn in Dec. 16, 2021, as NPS director, the first tribal citizen to lead the service in its 106-year history.\xa0

(Video story of the event.)\xa0

First, Trevor Pawl, Michigan\u2019s chief mobility officer, explains the potential opportunities from the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) announced Tuesday, April 19, between NPS and several state departments.\xa0

Some of the possibilities include installing more charging infrastructure for electric vehicles, something NPS has already begun.\xa0

Later, Jean Ruestman, who directs MDOT\u2019s Office of Passenger Transportation and a key player in developing the MOU, joins the podcast to talk about the potential to provide broader accessibility to the parks.\xa0

She also explains how the Michigan Mobility Challenge, highlighted by Gov. Gretchen Whitmer in 2019, could provide a model for inspiring ideas to increase access to the national parks.

Podcast photo: Morning fog in Yellowstone River Valley. National Park Service photo by Neal Herbert.