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Fredericksburg and Spotsylvania National Military Park Receives Transportation Grant from the National Park Foundation Fredericksburg, VA (February 11, 2016) – Fredericksburg and Spotsylvania National Military Park is one of 113 national parks selected to receive a field trip grant from the National Park Foundation, the official charity of America's national parks. It will enable more schools to bring their students to the park and experience the stories of the battlefields and historic sites firsthand. As part of the National Park Foundation's Open OutDoors for Kids program, this grant (funded in part by Disney) provides funding for materials and logistics to make national park field trips, citizen science projects, Junior Ranger activities, experiential learning opportunities, and more possible. Including this year's grantees, National Park Foundation grants have made it possible for more than 300,000 students to visit national parks. "Through programs like Open OutDoors for Kids and the Find Your Park movement, we are creating the next generation of park stewards, connecting youth across the country to these special places and inspiring their natural curiosity and love for them," said Will Shafroth, president and CEO of the National Park Foundation. "We are grateful to all of our partners, including Disney, that make such programs possible and help more people find their park." "By sharing parks with kids at such a young age, we're building a strong generation of park stewards who will care for and protect these treasured places into the next 100 years," said Jonathan B. Jarvis, director of the National Park Service. "Thanks to our philanthropic partner, the National Park Foundation, we're able to strengthen and enrich our parks through the lasting bond these experiences foster." Fredericksburg and Spotsylvania National Military Park would like all schools in the region to make annual field trips to the park. Local social studies coordinators state that the cost of busing is the number one determinant of whether or not classes have the opportunity to go on field trips. The grant funding will reimburse the cost of buses with extra funds available for schools that have to travel further than others. "The battlefields are the best resources to learn about the Civil War, and we are fortunate to have several in our area" believes Peter Maugle, Education Coordinator at Fredericksburg and Spotsylvania National Military Park. "Students, especially from this part of Virginia, should visit these places to better comprehend the significance of what occurred there, and foster their appreciation for how it affects us today." Interested in scheduling a field trip to the park? Contact e-mail us or (540) 693-3200, ext. 4160. Find the park's online classroom at: www.nps.gov/frsp/learn/education/index.htm. For the full list of park grantees, and their projects, visit www.nationalparks.org/ticket-adventure. Since 2014, Disney has been the lead sponsor of Open OutDoors for Kids, helping youth experience a national park, many of them for the first time. ABOUT FREDERICKSBURG AND SPOTSYLVANIA NATIONAL MILITARY PARK The second-largest military park in the world maintains over 7,000 acres at Fredericksburg, Chancellorsville, The Wilderness, Spotsylvania, Chatham Manor, and the Stonewall Jackson Shrine.Learn more at: www.nps.gov/frsp. ABOUT THE NATIONAL PARK SERVICE More than 20,000 National Park Service employees care for America's 409 national parks and work with communities across the nation to help preserve local history and create close-to-home recreational opportunities. Learn more at: www.nps.gov. ABOUT THE NATIONAL PARK FOUNDATION The National Park Foundation is the official charity of America's national parks and nonprofit partner to the National Park Service. Chartered by Congress in 1967, the National Park Foundation raises private funds to help PROTECT more than 84 million acres of national parks through critical conservation and preservation efforts, CONNECT all Americans with their incomparable natural landscapes, vibrant culture and rich history, and INSPIRE the next generation of park stewards. Find out more and become a part of the national park community at www.nationalparks.org. |
Last updated: March 14, 2016