New National Program Encourages Families and Classes to Visit National Park

Date: September 2, 2015
Contact: Jeff Wolin, (719) 748 - 3253

Florissant, CO –Florissant Fossil Beds National Monument invites all 4^th grade students to visit the park for free as part of the White House's new Every Kid in a Park program. Starting September 1, 4^th grade students can now go to www.everykidinapark.gov to complete an activity and obtain a free annual entry pass to more than 2,000 federal recreation areas, including national parks.

"During the National Park Service's centennial celebration, we are hoping that everyone gets a chance to visit their national parks, and we're proud to be offering a special free invitation to fourth graders and their families to discover all that national parks offer," said Superintendent Michelle Wheatley. There are 408 national parks throughout the country and each one tells an important part of the American story. Some commemorate notable people and achievements, others conserve magnificent landscapes and natural wonders, and all provide a place to have fun, learn, and explore.

Florissant Fossil Beds National Monument offers a variety of activities that fourth graders and their families can enjoy, including earning a Junior Ranger badge or patch by checking out an Explorer Pack or completing the Junior Ranger activity book, hands-on exhibits in the visitor center, and a chance to see some of the biggest petrified tree stumps in the world on a 1 mile self-guided trail. The Monument also offers ranger guided night sky programs and elk walks which offer a chance to experience the Monument after hours. For more information on programs please call the Monument at (719) 748 –3253.

To receive their free pass for national parks, fourth graders can visit the Every Kid in a Park website and play a game to access their special Every Kid in a Park pass. Fourth graders and their families can then use this pass for free entry national parks and other federal public lands and waters across the country from September 1st, 2015 through August 31, 2016. The website also includes fun and engaging learning activities aligned to educational standards, trip planning tools, safety and packing tips and other important and helpful information for educators and parents.

In addition to providing every fourth grader in America a free entry pass for national parks and federal public lands and waters, fourth grade educators, youth group leaders and their students across the country will also participate in the program through field trips and other learning experiences.  

The goal of the Every Kid in a Park program is to connect 4th graders with the great outdoors and inspire them to become future environmental stewards, ready to preserve and protect national parks and other public lands for years to come. The program is an important part of the National Park Service's centennial celebration in 2016, which encourages everyone to Find Your Park.

Every Kid in a Park is an administrative-wide effort, launched by President Obama, and supported by eight federal agencies, including the National Park Service, the Army Corps of Engineers, Bureau of Land Management, Bureau of Reclamation, Department of Education, Fish and Wildlife Service, Forest Service, and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

Learn more about Florissant Fossil Beds National Monument at (719) 748 –3253 ext. 122 or visit our website atwww.nps.gov/flfo and visit us on Facebook www.facebook.com/florissantnps