New Military Pass for Active Duty Service members

Date: May 17, 2012
Contact: Ron Harvey, 505-425-8025

Fort Union National Monument Announces New Military Pass

As part of the Joining Forces initiative to support our nation's service members and their families, Fort Union National Monument announces an annual pass to active duty service members and their dependents, granting free access to more than 2,000 national parks, wildlife refuges, national forests, and other public lands around the nation in the coming years.

Beginning on Armed Forces Day on May 19, active duty service men and women - Army, Marines, Navy, Air Force, Coast Guard, and activated National Guard and Reserves - can obtain the new military version of the America The Beautiful - The National Parks and Federal Recreational Lands Annual Pass. The pass will be accepted at National Park Service, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Bureau of Reclamation, Bureau of Land Management, U.S. Forest Service and U.S. Army Corps sites that charge entrance or standard amenity fees.

Military members and their dependents can pick up a pass at Fort Union National Monument and at any national park or wildlife refuge that charges an entrance fee or other selected sites. Members must show a current, valid military identification card to obtain their pass. The pass is also available to dependents of active duty personnel.

At sites which charge per vehicle entrance fees, the pass covers the owner and accompanying passengers in a single, private, non-commercial vehicle. At sites where per-person entrance fees are charged, the pass covers the pass owner and three accompanying adults age 16 and older. There is no entry fee for children 15 and under.

While the pass is not available to veterans and retirees, many of these individuals maybe eligible for other discounted passes, such as the Senior Pass, granting lifetime access to U.S. citizens over 62 for $10, and the Access Pass granting free lifetime access for permanently disabled U.S. citizens.

Fort Union National Monument is located near Watrous, NM exit 366 off I-25, 8 miles on NM-161. For further information contact the park at [phone].