Date: November 14, 2017
Contact: Jason Ginder, 409-951-6721
Big Thicket National Preserve encourages all fourth graders to visit a park this year as part of the Every Kid in a Park program. This program gives fourth grade students and those accompanying them free access to more than 2,000 federally managed lands and waters. Visit www.EveryKidinaPark.gov to download the pass and obtain more information.
Big Thicket National Preserve Superintendent Wayne Prokopetz said, “There are many things to discover at Big Thicket, and we’re excited to welcome fourth graders and their families. We hope that our young visitors learn and have fun in the great outdoors and develop a lifelong connection to their parks.”
The Every Kid in a Park pass – which features a new design for this year’s students – is valid for a full calendar year starting September 1. The pass grants free entry for fourth graders and up to three accompanying adults (or an entire car for drive-in parks) to most federally managed lands and waters, including national parks, forests, wildlife refuges and marine sanctuaries.
The newly expanded Every Kid in a Park website has links to educational activities, trip planning, field trip options, the downloadable pass, and additional information in both English and Spanish. After completing a fun, educational activity, the child can download and print a pass. The paper pass can be traded for a more durable pass at participating federal sites nationwide, including Big Thicket National Preserve.
Every Kid in a Park is a crucial component of a multi-pronged approach to inspire the next generation to discover all that our nation’s public lands and waters have to offer, including opportunities to be active, spend time with friends and family, and serve as living classrooms to build critical skills.
Big Thicket National Preserve is located in southeast Texas, near the city Beaumont , 75 miles northeast of Houston. The preserve consists of nine land units and six water corridors encompassing more than 113,000 acres. The Big Thicket, often referred to as a “biological crossroads,” is a transition zone between four distinct vegetation types – the moist eastern hardwood forest, the southwestern desert, the southeastern swamp, and the central prairies. Species from all of these different vegetation types come together in the thicket, exhibiting a variety of vegetation and wildlife that has received national interest.
For more information, please visit www.everykidinapark.gov and follow the program on Twitter @everykidinapark, Facebook, Instagram and YouTube. For additional information about Big Thicket National Preserve, visit www.nps.gov/bith or call the preserve visitor center at 409-951-6700. Visit us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram @BigThicketNPS.
