50: The Impacts of Erasing National Park History, A Fox Who Steals Boots, Bear Encounters, & Weird German Words with Professor Robert "Bob" Pahre

This week's guest is Robert "Bob" Pahre: a professor in the Political Science Department at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, where he is also currently Department Head. Liz and Bob discuss the consequences of erasing history from our nation's National Parks will entail, especially in regards to future generations and their access to knowledge and historical facts. They also talk about bear encounters, a sneaky fox who steals boots, weird German words, hanging upside down in a tree while playing the saxophone, the book that Bob is currently writing, and more!More about Bob:After graduate school, Bob first taught at the University of Rochester and then at the Political Science Department and the School of Public Policy (SPP, now the Ford School) at the University of Michigan.He received a PhD in Political Science from UCLA and a B.A. in International Relations and German Studies from Stanford University.  Not only that, but he played saxophone for the notorious Leland Stanford Junior University Marching Band.  Bob regularly teaches a summer course on the politics of national parks, on-site. He alternates between Politics of the Greater Yellowstone Area and the Politics of the National Parks of Colorado, with some Utah. “You know that you want to join us,” he says.If you can’t join one of those courses in the field, Bob developed an online course on the “Politics of Yellowstone.” You need not be a student at the University of Illinois to enroll.  Most of Bob’s research has been dominated by political economy, but now he is interested more in environmental questions and the politics of culture and heritage. His favorite hobbies are hiking, backpacking, and photography. You can sometimes find him on a bike or in a kayak. Most of his photography focuses on the outdoors, especially in the national parks.Bob's current book-length examines the politics behind the ways that US national parks interpret Western expansion. Past major projects have looked at the role of hegemony in the international political economy, the domestic political economy of trade cooperation, and transdisciplinary research in the social sciences; he has also written on some miscellaneous topics.Find out more about Bob on his website. Learn more about Bob's upcoming book and research here.Read more about the impacts of erasing historical interpretation from National Parks here.Follow ROTLP on Instagram: @rangersofthelostpark.Follow ROTLP on TikTok: @rangersofthelostpark.Join Patreon! Become a Ranger Friend for bonus content and to join an incredible community.Now available on YouTube! Watch Rangers of the Lost Park select episodes.Got a cool Ranger Tea story? Want Liz to share your interesting outdoors story on the podcast? Fill out the Listener Story Form!Have a question for Liz? Want her to answer it on an episode? Fill out the Listener Question Form!Do you know someone who would make a great guest on the podcast (yourself included)? Fill out the Podcast Guest Request Form!For episode suggestions and feedback, please email Liz at info@rangersofthelostpark.com.Please download, subscribe, and leave a review! Thank you for listening! ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★