New River Gorge National River Welcomes 4th Grade Students Through Every Kid In a Park Initiative

Date: September 8, 2015
Contact: Mark Bollinger, 304-465-6523

Glen Jean, West Virginia – New River Gorge National River invites all 4^th grade students to visit the park as part of the White House’s new Every Kid in a Park program. Starting September 1, 4^th grade students can now 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 parks. “I’m very excited about the opportunity to introduce all 4^th graders to the wonderful park resources in their backyards and to their National Parks,” said Superintendent Trish Kicklighter. 

New River Gorge National River will welcome all local area 4^thgraders to the Grandview area of the park on September 30^th, when the park kicks off the school year with a free field trip for 4^thgrade classes. This event was made possible through a National Park Foundation transportation grant with assistance from the Hinton Area Foundation and Theater West Virginia. It will feature a unique, live performance from the cast of Theater West Virginia as they depict characters in West Virginia history. Following the performance, classes will rove through pop-up stations to learn more about West Virginia history. Transportation funding is still available for local area 4^thgrade classes. To get involved, please contact Mark Bollinger at 304-465-6523.

To receive their free pass for all national parks, fourth graders can visit the Every Kid in a Park website and play a game to access their special Every Kid in a Park pass. Fourth graders and their families can then use this pass for free entry into national parks and other federal public lands and waters across the country from September 1st, 2015 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.