Every Kid in a Park

Date: September 2, 2015
Contact: Gregory C. Schwarz, 603 675-2175

New National Program Encourages Families and Classes to Visit National Parks

Saint-Gaudens National Historic Site in Cornish, NH and Marsh-Billings-Rockefeller National Historical Park in Woodstock, VT, join in inviting all 4^th grade students and their families to visit the parks for freeas 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 entry annual pass to more than 2,000 federal recreation areas, including national parks.

"During the National Park Service's centennial celebration next year, we want everyone to get to know their national parks, and we're offering a special invitation to fourth graders and their families to discover everything that national parks offer," said National Park Service Director Jonathan B. Jarvis. "We hope these free passes for fourth graders will introduce these students, their classes, and families to our national treasures, places where they can run and play, explore and learn."

Saint-Gaudens NHS, a national park for the arts, is New Hampshire's only National Park site and Marsh-Billings-Rockefeller NHP is the only one in Vermont. Both parks offer a variety of activities that fourth graders and their families can enjoy, including educational programs, junior ranger activities, concerts, special events, such as the Forest Festival and Sculptural Visions and even nature hikes and snowshoe tours.

Vermont's Senator Patrick Leahy praised the initiative "Vermonters are proud of our National Historical Park, but many have yet to discover it.  This invitation is a wonderful opportunity for more families to discover and rediscover Vermont's national park unit, as well as all the other wonders that our national parks have to offer. It's a great way to get an early start on celebrating the 100th birthday of 'America's best idea', our National Park System."

New Hampshire's Senator Kelly Ayotte also applauded the program "New Hampshire's beautiful landscape and parks are a treasure, and every child should have the opportunity to enjoy the great outdoors in New Hampshire and across the country. This initiative will help to ensure that children understand and appreciate the value of time outdoors in New Hampshire with their families and friends."

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 to 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.

The goal of this 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.

Saint-Gaudens National Historic Site is located in Cornish, NH off NH Route 12A, at 139 Saint-Gaudens Road, Cornish, NH, 03745, phone [phone], www.nps.gov/saga

Marsh-Billings-Rockefeller National Historic Park is located at 54 Elm Street in Woodstock, VT 05091,phone [phone], www.nps.gov/MABI