News Release

Chesapeake Trail Receives National Park Foundation Open OutDoors for Kids Grant to Support Field Trip Programs

Children participate in a stream field trip activity at Zimmerman Center for Heritage.

NPS

News Release Date: March 21, 2022

Contact: Jackie Kramer, [phone]

Contact: Alanna Sobel, [phone]

JAMESTOWN, VA (March 21, 2022) The Captain John Smith Chesapeake National Historic Trail received an Open OutDoors for Kids grant from the National Park Foundation (NPF). This grant will support school field trips to the Zimmerman Center for Heritage, a visitor center for the Susquehanna National Heritage Area (SNHA) located in Wrightsville, Pennsylvania, and Sultana Education Foundation (SEF) in Chestertown, Maryland.

The Chesapeake Trail’s grant covers field trip transportation and activity fees for fourth-graders in Pennsylvania’s York and Lancaster Counties and Maryland’s Kent County.

Field trips to the Susquehanna National Recreation Area in Pennsylvania engage children in a field stream study and hike to Native Lands County Park to learn about the Susquehannock people. Students also participate in a scavenger hunt at the Zimmerman Center for Heritage and are sworn in as Junior Rangers.

In Kent County, Maryland, field trips visit the Sultana Education Foundation. Students learn about Chesapeake Bay ecology, Captain John Smith and the Native peoples who have lived in the region since time immemorial. Students experience SEF’s state-of-the-art education center and 1768 reproduction schooner.

“National parks are America’s largest classrooms, and Open OutDoors for Kids seeks to connect as many kids as possible to them,” said National Park Foundation President and CEO Will Shafroth. “With parks, learning is fun, memorable and hands-on. Parks open kids’ eyes to the wonder and complexities of nature and history, sharing diverse perspectives that offer a wider understanding of our country’s progress and struggles.” 

Since 2011, NPF has engaged more than one million students in educational programs connecting them with national parks across the country. NPF’s goal is to connect another one million students to parks by the end of the 2024-25 school year.

The NPF Open OutDoors for Kids program is made possible by private philanthropy, including support from Youth Engagement and Education premier partner Union Pacific Railroad and supporting partner GoGo squeeZ. Additional funding is provided by Alicia and Peter Pond, Apple, Columbia Sportswear, Sierra, Parks Project, Humana, The Batchelor Foundation, Inc. and many other donors.

Learn more about NPF’s efforts to engage students with national parks as classrooms.

School districts interested in participating in the field trip program should email e-mail us.

ABOUT SUSQUEHANNA NATIONAL HERITAGE AREA
Susquehanna National Heritage Area (SNHA) is a regional non-profit organization and Congressionally-designated coordinating entity for America’s 55th National Heritage Area. SNHA collaborates with local, state and national partners to connect people to the nationally important places and stories of Lancaster and York Counties in South Central Pennsylvania. Their work focuses on the cultural and natural resources of the Susquehanna River and the ribbon of scenic and historic landscapes and communities along its shores. Learn more at www.susqnha.org.

ABOUT SULTANA EDUCATION FOUNDATION
In 1997, a handful of educators from Maryland’s Eastern Shore came together to build a replica of the 1768 schooner Sultana to help students better understand the Chesapeake Bay. Today, Sultana Education Foundation (SEF) provides transformative educational experiences in which students investigate the natural and human history of the Chesapeake Bay while exploring solutions for a more sustainable ecosystem. Located in Chestertown, Maryland, SEF serves more than 14,000 students and teachers annually. SEF is also an important resource for individuals and families, providing summer enrichment programs and outdoor experiences for the public. Learn more at www.sultanaeducation.org.

ABOUT THE NATIONAL PARK FOUNDATION
The National Park Foundation works to protect wildlife and park lands, preserve history and culture, educate and engage youth and connect people everywhere to the wonder of parks. They do it in collaboration with the National Park Service, the park partner community and with the generous support of donors, without whom their work would not be possible. Learn more at www.nationalparks.org.