C&O Canal Welcomes 4th Grade Students Through Every Kid in a Park Initiative

Date: September 17, 2015
Contact: Ben Helwig, 301-491-6259

POTOMAC, Md. –Chesapeake &Ohio Canal National Historical Park invites all 4^th grade students to visit the park as part of President Obama's new Every Kid in a Park program. Starting September 1, 4th grade students can now go to www.everykidinapark.gov to obtain a pass that provides free access for students and their families to all federally managed lands and waters –including national parks, forests and wildlife refuges.At C&O Canal, this pass would waive the entrance fee at Great Falls, Md.

"During the National Park Service's centennial celebration, 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 Superintendent Kevin Brandt "We hope these free passes for fourth graders will introduce 4^th graders, their classes, and families to our national treasures, places where they can run and play, explore and learn."

C&O Canal National Historical Park offers a variety of curriculum based education programs for elementary and secondary grades at Great Falls in Potomac, Maryland. Students and their families can also enjoy a variety of self-guided and ranger-led programs and activities throughout the year, such as our popular Junior Ranger, mule-drawn canal boat ride, or bicycle loan programs. For information on planning your visit and program offerings please visit the park website at www.nps.gov/choh

To receive their free pass, fourth graders can visit the Every Kid in a Park websiteand complete a fun educational activity in order to obtain and print their pass. Students can also trade in their paper pass for an official access card at participating federal sites nationwide.

Fourth graders and their families can then use this pass for free entry national parks and all other federal public lands and waters across the country from Sept. 1, 2015 through Aug. 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 the Every Kid in a Park 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 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.