Big South Fork National River & Recreation Area Welcomes Fourth Grade Students Through Every Kid In a Park Initiative

Date: September 1, 2015
Contact: Christopher Derman

Big South Fork National River and Recreation Area invites all fourth grade students to visit the park as part of the White House's new Every Kid in a Park program. Starting September 1, fourth grade students can 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 100th birthday celebration this next year, we want everyone to get to spend time at the Big South Fork, and we're offering a special invitation to fourth graders and their families to discover everything that the park has to offer," said Superintendent Niki Stephanie Nicholas.

Big South Fork offers a variety of activities and special events that fourth graders and their family can enjoy, including the annual Haunting in the Hills Storytelling Festival, Ghost Train, Decoration Day at Blue Heron, Spring Planting and Music Festival, Healthy Hike of the Week, Mountain Bike Monday, Campfire Programs at Bandy Creek and Blue Heron, the Kentucky Pentathlon, and a self-guided junior ranger activity book. There is also a swimming pool, open weekends and holidays, during the summer months.

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 1, 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 fourth 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, U.S. Forest Service, and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.