Transportation Field Trip Grant

A ranger speaks with children during a field trip to the park

NPS / Tom Engberg

News Release Date: December 12, 2015

Contact: Susan Knisley, 740-774-1126

Park receives Transportation grant from the National Park Foundation

Hopewell Culture National Historical Park is one of 113 national parks selected to receive a 2015 field trip grant from the National Park Foundation (NPF), the official charity of America's national parks. Schools all over Ohio will have the opportunity to participate in educational programs at Hopewell Culture National Historical Park.

As part of the National Park Foundation's Open OutDoors for Kids program, this grant (funded in part by Disney) provides funding for materials and logistics to make national park field trips, citizen science projects, Junior Ranger activities, experiential learning opportunities, and more possible.

Including this year's grantees, National Park Foundation grants have made it possible for more than 300,000 students to visit national parks.

"Through programs like Open OutDoors for Kids and the Find Your Park/Encuentra Tu Parque movement, we are creating the next generation of park stewards, connecting youth across the country to these special places and inspiring their natural curiosity and love for them," said Will Shafroth, president and CEO of the National Park Foundation. "We are grateful to all of our partners, including Disney, that make such programs possible and help more people find their park."

"By sharing parks with kids at such a young age, we're building a strong generation of park stewards who will care for and protect these treasured places into the next 100 years," said Jonathan B. Jarvis, director of the National Park Service. "Thanks to our philanthropic partner, the National Park Foundation, we're able to strengthen and enrich our parks through the lasting bond these experiences foster."

Located in Chillicothe, Ohio, the epicenter of enormous geometric earthworks, Hopewell Culture National Historical Park preserves the story of prehistoric Native Americans. Field trips at these earthworks help children connect to and understand the significance of the park's resources first-hand and on-site.Through interactive tours among these ancient monuments and hands-on demonstrations, students are able to step back in time. This funding allows Hopewell Culture National Historical Park to offer financial support to schools that would like to bring their students to the park, but lack the funding to afford transportation.

"The stories of the Hopewell culture, of archeology, and of national parks are exciting and meaningful to our lives today," said Dean Alexander, superintendent at Hopewell Culture National Historical Park. "We seek to share them with students in school districts surrounding us through this grant."

For more information on how to get your school involved this opportunity, Contact Hopewell Culture National Historical Park, or visit the park's Field Trips web page.

For the full list of park grantees, and their projects, visit the NPF website.

Since 2014, Disney has been the lead sponsor of Open OutDoors for Kids, helping youth experience a national park, many of them for the first time.

ABOUT THE NATIONAL PARK FOUNDATION

The National Park Foundation is the official charity of America's national parks and nonprofit partner to the National Park Service. Chartered by Congress in 1967, the National Park Foundation raises private funds to help PROTECT more than 84 million acres of national parks through critical conservation and preservation efforts, CONNECT all Americans with their incomparable natural landscapes, vibrant culture and rich history, and INSPIRE the next generation of park stewards. Find out more and become a part of the national park community at by visiting the National Park Foundation's website.