Devils Tower National Monument Welcomes 4th Grade Students Through Every Kid In a Park Initiative

Date: September 3, 2015
Contact: Nancy Stimson, 307 467 5283

New National Program Encourages Families and Classes to Visit National Parks

Devils Tower, WY –Devils Tower National Monument invites all 4th grade students to visit the park for free as part of the White House's new Every Kid in a Park program. 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 park sites.

"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 National Park Service Director Jonathan B. Jarvis. "We hope these free passes for fourth graders will introduce 4th graders, their classes, and families to our national treasures, places where they can run and play, explore and learn."

Devils Tower National Monument offers a variety of activities that fourth graders and their families can enjoy, including a self-guided walk on the Tower Trail which extends 1.3 miles around the base of the Tower and a Junior Ranger program which a badge is earned upon completion of the activity booklet. The new junior ranger can keep the special Devils Tower National Monument pencil and a special junior ranger patch is available in the Devils Tower Natural History Association bookstore.

To receive the free pass, fourth graders can visit the Every Kid in a Park website and complete the activity 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 park sites and other federal public lands and waters across the country 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 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.

To learn more about Devils Tower National Monument visit www.nps.gov/deto or www.facebook.com/Devils-Tower-National-Monument-Official-NPS-Site or twitter.com@DevilsTowerNM.

~NPS~