Last month, several hundred people gathered in Greenwich Village to celebrate the opening of a new visitor center at Stonewall National Monument and to honor the movement Stonewall set in motion as the “birthplace for Pride.” Mark Segal is a longtime activist and journalist who participated in the momentous events that took place here in June 1969, and he curated the interpretive exhibit featured in the new visitor center.

In this episode, host Jennifer Errick speaks with Segal on the events of the uprising and how it shaped his lifetime of activism. We also feature NPCA Northeast Program Manager Timothy Leonard who has spent 10 years working with the coalition that helped create and support the monument, as well as clips from the grand opening event, featuring President Joe Biden and Pride Live CEO Diana Rodriguez, the driving force behind the new visitor center.

Special thanks to the staff of Pride Live, NPCA Communications Director Alison Zemanski Heis and NPCA Northeast Regional Director Kristen Sykes.

Original theme music by Chad Fischer.

Learn more about the Stonewall National Monument Visitor Center and make a reservation to visit at StonewallVisitorCenter.org

Learn more about this podcast and listen to the rest of our stories at thesecretlivesofparks.org

For more than a century, the National Parks Conservation Association has been protecting and enhancing America’s national parks for present and future generations. With more than 1.6 million members and supporters, NPCA is the nation’s only independent, nonpartisan advocacy organization dedicated to protecting national parks.

And we’re proud of it, too.

You can join the fight to preserve Stonewall National Monument and all of our national park sites. Learn more and join us at npca.org

On the remote Sea Islands of South Carolina, golf courses and gated developments are changing the rural character of some of the first African American-owned lands in the country.

The Gullah/Geechee are the direct descendants of the enslaved people who once worked on the area's rice, cotton and indigo plantations; now, the island that serves as the epicenter of their culture is at risk from a new development threat. The Gullah/Geechee and their lands played a critical role at a turning point in the Civil War and are a central part of the history of the Reconstruction Era National Historical Site.

In this episode, host Jennifer Errick travels with her colleague, NPCA Field Representative Joshua Jenkins, a South Carolina native, to speak with Queen Quet, chieftess and head of state of the Gullah/Geechee Nation; Ranger Katherine Freeman and Chief of Interpretation Chris Barr of the Reconstruction Era National Historical Site; and Grant McClure, south coast project manager for the Coastal Conservation League.

Correction: Queen Quet was elected to her position as chieftess and head of state of the Gullah/Geechee Nation in 2000, not 2002 as reported in the story. NPCA regrets the error.

Learn more about the coalition to protect Saint Helena Island at protectsthelena.com

Learn more about the Gullah/Geechee Nation at gullahgeecheenation.com. Follow Queen Quet on Facebook at facebook.com/GullahGeecheeWeBe/ and on TikTok at tiktok.com/@gullahgeecheenation

Read a 2023 NPR story on this issue at npr.org

Learn more about this podcast and listen to the rest of our stories at thesecretlivesofparks.org

For more than a century, the National Parks Conservation Association has been protecting and enhancing America’s national parks for present and future generations. With more than 1.6 million members and supporters, NPCA is the nation’s only independent, nonpartisan advocacy organization dedicated to protecting national parks.

You can join the fight to preserve our national parks. Learn more and join us at npca.org

They say the stars at night are big and bright deep in the heart of Texas... but what about the middle of the day? Not just any day—in this episode, we experience the recent total solar eclipse at Lyndon B. Johnson National Historical Park and discover how the history of this Hill Country ranch connects it to the night sky and the heyday of the U.S. space program.

Host Todd Christopher captures the sounds of the awe-inspiring celestial event from the LBJ Ranch as ranger Kevin Goodwin shares LBJ’s space cowboy roots and NASA’s Molly Wasser breaks down the science behind solar eclipses. Original theme music by Chad Fischer

The Secret Lives of Parks is brought to you by: 

Todd Christopher – Producer & Host

Jennifer Errick – Producer & Host

Bev Stanton – Online Producer

The Secret Lives of Parks is a production of the National Parks Conservation Association. With more than 1.6 million members and supporters, NPCA is the nation’s only independent, nonpartisan advocacy organization dedicated to protecting national parks. Learn more at npca.org