From the Field

Urban Lights

NPS parks and program staff from across the country submitted short examples of how they've used the 3 principles in their work to forge stronger community connections. Check out these 50+ stories as well as the 19 stories featured in the Urban Lights publication.

Urban Lights publication

________________________________________________________________

ACCESSIBILITY

PROGRAMMING FOR THE PEOPLE

Location: Chattanooga, TN
Parks & Partners involved: Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park, Bessie Smith Cultural Center

Story Snapshot: Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park partnered with the Bessie Smith Cultural Center in an effort to collaborate with communities through facilitated dialogue and civic engagement in order to determine the best possible programs and exhibits that would effectively connect with underserved audiences in Chattanooga's urban setting. Programs resulting from this partnership range from collaborative interpretation at the park to multimedia exhibits and installations at the Bessie Smith Cultural Center.
For more information, contact Kim Coons, Public Information Officer at [e-mail]

FIND YOUR PARK, D.C.

Location: Washington, DC
Parks & Partners involved: NPS National Capital Region

Story Snapshot: The DC Area National Parks website pulls together information about the 23 NPS park units and 74 National Historic Landmarks in the DC metro area. Location and contact information for these sites is featured on the site, making it easier for DC residents and visitors to identify DC-area national parks.
More information

LINKING PLACES & PARKS THROUGH TRAILS

Location: Washington D.C. metro area
Parks & Partners involved: Chesapeake & Ohio Canal NHP, George Washington Memorial Parkway, National Capital Parks - East, National Mall and Memorial Parks, Potomac Heritage National Scenic Trail, Rock Creek Park

Story Snapshot:
Through cooperation with nonprofits and multiple national parks in D.C. and surrounding jurisdictions, a resulting regional paved trail plan outlines 121 capital and programmatic recommendations for the future planning and coordination of the almost 100 miles of paved trails in the D.C. metropolitan area. Through this plan, NPS will successfully link diverse places of natural and historic significance through a widespread, equitable and interconnected regional paved trail system.
More information

EVERGLADES NATIONAL PARK COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT PROGRAM

Location: Miami, FL
Parks & Partners involved: Everglades National Park, YMCA, Miami Dade County, South Florida National Parks Trust

Story Snapshot: The program aims to reach South Florida's diverse community by attending a wide range of local events. At local festivals, fairs and show, NPS staff are able to connect to diverse audiences that might not normally visit the park. NPS staff are then able to introduce them to the national parks and the resources available to them. In collaboration with partners like YMCA and Miami Dade County, NPS staff focused on reaching underserved youth, providing opportunities to experience the South Florida national parks through field trips, interpretive programs and camping.
For more information contact Maria Thomson, NPS Community Outreach Coordinator at [e-mail]

________________________________________________________________

ART & MEDIA

MEMORIALS FOR THE FUTURE

Location: Washington, D.C.
Parks & Partners involved: NPS National Capital Region, National Capital Planning Commission, Van Alen Institute

Story Snapshot: Memorials for the Future calls for designers, artists, and social scientists to develop new ways to commemorate people and events that are more inclusive and flexible, and that enrich Washington's landscape while responding to the limitations of traditional commemoration. Events that unfold around us every day can be as compelling and culturally important as ones in the past. The tools of memorialization can help people learn about and appreciate recent events, important issues, and ongoing trends and experiences that impact their lives directly. As NPS celebrated its centennial in 2016, Memorials for the Future announced a winner, and offered a free public exhibition showcasing the winner and finalists' design concepts.
Links to more information: See the exhibition online here.

2ND NATURE

Location: Washington, D.C.
Parks & Partners involved: National Capital Region, Latin American Youth Center

Story Snapshot: 2nd Nature has been a partnership with the National Capital Region and the Latin American Youth Center (LAYC) for over 7 years. LAYC helps NPS reach diverse audiences as they teach youth art and media (murals, spoken word/poetry, rap, multi-media, photography, etc.) throughout the year and connect them with trips to NPS units. The youth are charged to describe the value of national parks to themselves, their families, and their communities; ultimately their works are showcased as a final art exhibition/show.
For more information visit the Latin American Youth Center's page.

"THE STRUGGLE"

Location: Washington, D.C.
Parks & Partners involved: National Mall and Memorial Parks, New Bedford Whaling National Historical Park, Third Eye Unlimited

Story Snapshot: The Youth Ambassador Program (YAP!) is a partnership project between the National Park Service and Third Eye Unlimited where teens communicate national park themes through hip-hop culture and social media outreach. "The Struggle" is a powerful statement music video about how far we still have to go in the fight for civil and equal rights in the United States of America.
For more information watch the video here.

ARTS IN THE PARKS

Location: Boston, MA
Parks & Partners involved: National Parks of Boston, The Freedom Trail, Black Heritage Trail

Story Snapshot:
This initiative features long-term efforts to engage new and diverse audiences through performance art. For example, there were pop-up plays on the Freedom Trail that connect with the Blood on the Snow performance at the Old State House and spoken word and music performances by "Castle of Our Skins" on the Black Heritage Trail that connect with special events at the Museum of African American History. Ultimately the National Parks of Boston Arts in Parks program will activate these along two NPS urban trails in Boston and engage creative partners and new audiences.
For more information visit the NPS Arts in the Parks website.

OUR AMERICAN NARRATIVE CONTINUES

Location: New York, NY
Parks & Partners involved: Statue of Liberty National Monument, Groundswell

Story Snapshot: This art installation includes a six-part mural panel series celebrating the rich history of immigration to the United States. The series was created by 23 teen artists for public display at Ellis Island, seen by thousands of tourists each day. The panel series is part of Groundswell's Teen Empowerment Mural Apprenticeship (TEMA), an after school program during which teen artists meet weekly throughout the school year to create large-scale public art projects for community-based partner organizations.
For more information visit the Statute of Liberty website here.

CHANTEY SONGS AT HYDE STREET PIER

Location: San Francisco, CA
Parks & Partners involved: San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park

Story Snapshot:
A monthly public sing-along of sea chanteys and sailor songs aboard a historic ship at San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park. This free event, rooted in thirty years of tradition from sea music enthusiasts, takes place the first Saturday of every month and has garnered a loyal following, drawing 80 to 200 people monthly. Public singalong of sea songs garners diverse participants to learn and join in singing chanteys influenced by Irish, Scottish, English, French, and African American and West Indian traditions.
For more information, visit this page.

THE NATCHEZ HISTORY MINUTE

Location: Natchez, MS
Parks & Partners involved: Natchez National Historical Park

Story Snapshot: To celebrate the NPS Centennial, and the Natchez Tricentennial, the NATC park historian developed a social media campaign of 366 one-minute historical segments with different narrators telling aspects of 300 years of history in Natchez, Mississippi. One video was posted every day of the year, and drew contributions from 350 people, including 140 local school children. The video series has been viewed by more than one million viewers in more than 50 countries, and lives on indefinitely via YouTube and Facebook.
Watch the video

________________________________________________________________

COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT

PROMOTING HERITAGE THROUGH TOURISM IN THE LOWER RIO GRANDE VALLEY

Location: Brownsville, TX
Parks & Partners involved: NPS Rivers, Trails, and Conservation Assistance Program (RTCA)

Story Snapshot:
The Rivers, Trails, and Conservation Assistance Program of the Park Service coordinated resource-minded staff and partners in promoting resource protection and eco-tourism in the Lower Rio Grande Valley area. The effort resulted in multiple successful workshops bringing communities and stakeholders together to develop an action plan and pursue coordinated efforts. Together, the communities pooled funding and are in the process of developing an economic impact study to better utilize public lands and natural resources as economic drivers to the area.
For more information, contact Erich Melville, NPS Outdoor Recreation Planner at [e-mail]

iTOWPATH TRAIL & AKRON CIVIC COMMONS

Location: Ohio
Parks & Partners involved: Ohio & Erie Canal National Heritage Area, Knight Foundation, City of Akron, Cuyahoga Valley National Park

Story Snapshot: Three underutlized community assets - Civic Gateway, Park East and Summit Lake - along the Ohio & Erie Canal Towpath Trail were reimagined and connected to bring economically diverse neighborhoods together, build civic pride, and advance environmental sustainability. The Ohio & Erie Canalway Coalition convened diverse groups through the Akron Civic Commons. The resulting iTowpath plan identifies more than 20 projects, including the installation of bicycle service stations, enhancements to the dark underpasses along the trail, wayfinding signage, and connections to local attractions.
For more information, visit:
www.ohioeriecanal.org/itowpath
civiccommons.us/akron

VISUALIZING NPS RESOURCES FOR GATEWAY COMMUNITIES

Location: Washington, D.C.
Parks & Partners involved: State, Tribal, and Local Plans & Grants Division,
Wheeling National Heritage Area, Glacier National Park, U.S. Census Bureau

Story Snapshot: Through the combined efforts of NPS park units and NPS community assistantance programs, the State, Tribal, and Local Plans and & Grants Division is spearheading a geospatial tool that maps the relationship between Certified Local Governments and gateway communities. The group hopes that by mapping this interplay, there will be more capacity to recognize NPS physical and economic presence in gateway communities. As of mid-2017, raw data has been collected. After the data has been analyzed, the goal is to have place-based discussions on resource management and on how programs/partnerships impact communities.
For more information, contact Seth Tinkham, NPS Historian at [e-mail]

A PARK DESIGNED BY THE COMMUNITY, FOR THE COMMUNITY

Location: Alexandria, VA
Parks & Partners involved: George Washington Memorial Parkway

Story Snapshot: In 2015, the launch of the Urban Agenda spurred NPS to facilitate and gather community input to help develop a set of recommendations for desired recreational experiences at Jones Point Park. The community outreach process enabled NPS to better understand the need for flexible court space, fields, and recreational activities at the park, and invovled diverse community members from the surrounding community in Alexandria. Growth of the surrounding communities places pressure on Jones Point Park as a needed respite in the urban setting, but also provides the opportunity to help fulfill the Urban Agenda by connecting to new populations and offering a variety of recreational opportunities for a diverse audience. The plan was completed and released March 2017.
Read the plan.

________________________________________________________________

NATURAL RESOURCES

METRO WATERSHED PARTNERSHIP

Location: Minneapolis-St. Paul, MN
Parks & Partners involved: Mississippi National River and Recreation Area, NPS Rivers, Trails, and Conservation Assistance program (RTCA)

Story Snapshot: The Metro Watershed Partners, initiated by the NPS over 20 years ago, is a dynamic coalition of over 60 public, private and non-profit organizations in the Minneapolis - Saint Paul metropolitan area. The partnership provides educational outreach, engaging hundreds of thousands of urban residents in protecting water quality of the Mississippi River and area watersheds.
Learn more about this project.

BLACK BEAR MONITORING PARTNERSHIP

Location: Sarasota, FL
Parks & Partners involved: Wekiva Wild & Scenic River

Story Snapshot: This collaborative partnership is between the National Park Service, National Park Foundation, Disney, Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission,the University of Central Florida, Friends of the Wekiva River, Inc. and the Florida Wildlife Federation to study and evaluate habitat use, movement and behavior of the Florida black bear adjacent to urbanized areas in the Wekiva Wild & Scenic River System.
For more information, contact Jaime Doubek-Racine, NPS Community Planner at [e-mail]

________________________________________________________________

NEXT GENERATION STEWARDS

URBAN ARCHEOLOGY CORPS

Location:
Richmond, VA; Washington, DC; Chattanooga, TN; Los Angeles, CA
Parks & Partners involved:
National Capital Parks - East, Richmond National Battlefield, Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area, Chickamauga & Chattanooga NMP, Groundwork USA, Mountains Recreation and Conservation Authority

Story Snapshot: This summer youth internship program focuses on diversifying the field of archeology and using archeology as an interdisciplinary vehicle to encourage civic engagement and stewardship. Four sites across the country worked with 59 young adults aged 16-26 on archaeological projects at sites with complex and diverse histories. Employing diverse youth to help interpret the artifacts from these sites helped open up meaningful discussions about race, relevance, and telling historical stories reflective of all Americans.
For more information

LATINO HERITAGE INTERNSHIP PROGRAM OPENS DOORS

Location: Nationwide
Parks & Partners involved: NPS, Hispanic Access Foundation, Environment for the Americas

Story Snapshot: The National Park Service and Hispanic Access Foundation’s Latino Heritage Internship Program (LHIP) is designed to train Latinx youth in the skills of cultural, historical, natural resource management. Each summer, approximately 40 interns work at parks across the country in both urban and rural environments to raise awareness of our national parks and historic sites, and increase their accessibility to the Latino community. Sites can extend the internships with outside funding for up to a year. This program is similar to other youth-internship models, but it is the first of the Park Service's to target Latinx students.
For more information

NEXT GENERATION RANGERS MAKE A DIFFERENCE IN TUCSON

Location: Tucson, AZ
Parks & Partners involved: Saguaro National Park, Friends of Saguaro National Park

Story Snapshot: Friends of Saguaro National Park and Saguaro National Park joined together in early 2015 to establish a Next Generation Ranger Corps program. The program is designed to enable young people interested in a career with the NPS to discover the agency and its different operational divisions by providing college students an experiential, engaging, and supportive learning and working opportunity at Saguaro National Park. The Friends of Saguaro National Park NextGen internship program seeks to expand Saguaro National Park's urban outreach; strengthen the Park's connection to local schools; achieve greater levels of engagement with underserved communities; and create an ethic of conservation and resource stewardship.
For more information

FINDING THEIR FUTURE: MISSISSIPPI RIVER FELLOWS

Location: St. Paul, MN

Parks & Partners involved:

Story Snapshot: With NPS park ranger coaching and through collaboration with the Mississippi Park Connection and outdoor professionals, diverse high school graduates and college students are introduced to careers in outdoor recreation through a 10-week paid internship in the Twin Cities. In its 4th season as of 2017, the program provides necessary professional development and aims to hone their educator skills by requiring them to design and implement their own projects with gained interpretation skills.
For more information contact Lyndon Torstenson, Manager-Educational Partnerships; [e-mail]

YOUTH LEADERSHIP ACADEMY CHAMPIONS SOCIAL JUSTICE AND EMPOWERMENT

Location: Little Rock, AR
Parks & Partners involved: Little Rock Central High School NHS, Save Our Schools

Story Snapshot: Nine youth (reminiscent of the Little Rock 9) compete for a place in an academy that provides them with internship opportunities and professional development throughout their high school career. Lessons and internships focus on principles of social justice, empowerment and principles of nonviolence in reference to historic and current civil rights struggles. Each year the program is designed by the student cohort around a central theme, and facilitated by school staff. Frequently lessons and projects have an art element like theater, poetry, or music. The program also allows for students from other Little Rock Public Schools beyond Little Rock Central High School to apply.
More information

PRORANGER PROGRAM INTRODUCES STUDENTS TO LAW ENFORCEMENT CAREERS

Location: Philadelphia, PA
Parks & Partners involved: Temple University, NPS

Story Snapshot: The ProRanger Philadelphia Program is an academic and technical skills training and internship program that is cooperatively administered by the National Park Service and Temple University. The program was established to recruit, train and employ law enforcement park rangers for the National Park Service. Students are selected to be part of the approximately 20-person cohort as sophomores, and amass 15 credit hours over 3 years in the program. After successfully graduating from Temple University and meeting all program requirements and program standards, ProRangers are eligible for non-competitive conversion to a position as a Law Enforcement Ranger within the National Park Service.
More information

________________________________________________________________

PUBLIC HEALTH

PARK RX HELPS HEAL THROUGH NATURE

Location: Nationally
Parks & Partners involved:
NPS, Smithsonian, National parks Conservation Assocation, DC Parks and Rec,
Institute at Golden Gate, Children & Nature Network

Story Snapshot: Park Rx America (formally DC Park Rx) is a nonprofit organization whose mission is to decrease the burden of chronic disease, increase health and happiness, and foster environmental stewardship, by virtue of prescribing Nature during the routine delivery of healthcare. The organization works closely with managers of publicly-accessible land and water, like the National Park Service, as well as directly with healthcare providers and their respective organizations, to "make it easy" to prescribe parks and other protected areas to their patients real-time in the clinical practice setting.
More information

BROWNS MILL FOOD FOREST BRINGS URBAN AGRICULTURE TO ATLANTA

Location: Atlanta, GA
Parks & Partners involved:
Rivers, Trails, and Conservation Assistance Program (RTCA),
Atlanta Community Food Bank,
US Forest Service
Office of Resilience, City of Atlanta
The Conservation Fund
US Forest Service - Region VIII
NPS Southeast Regional Office

Story Snapshot: A 7-acre site will soon be transformed into an "edible landscape" and community garden hub in downtown Atlanta. The tract will provide ample plots for community members and partners to practice sustainable urban agriculture and increase their access to healthy food options. It will be the first city-owned and managed food forest in Atlanta, with the goal of reducing food deserts in underserved communities and bringing wider awareness of sustainable urban agriculture to Atlanta.
More information

________________________________________________________________

TRANSPORTATION

CONNECTING COMMUNITIES TO THEIR URBAN PARK

Location: Brownsville, TX
Parks & Partners involved: Palo Alto Battlefield National Historical Park; Rivers, Trails, and Conservation Assistance Program (RTCA)

Story Snapshot:
The construction of this 9-mile rail trail enhances bicycle and pedestrian connections between the urban national historical park and historically significant sites located throughout the community. These sites include places such as the Heritage and Cultural District, Historic Brownsville Museum, and the Fine Arts Museum. The rail trail serves as the spine for the city's growing trail system, and increases public lands access to the underserved communities in the city.
More information

CAPITAL TRAILS COALITION PARTNERSHIP BRINGS MULTI-USE TRAILS TO D.C.

Location: Washington, DC
Parks & Partners involved: National Capital Region Rivers, Trails, and Conservation Assistance Program (RTCA); Washington Area Bicyclist Association (WABA)

Story Snapshot: Comprising more than 40 public and private organizations and agencies, as well as citizen volunteers—and supported by REI, who has committed $500,000 to support the development of this project—the coalition is working to complete a world-class multi-use trail network in the D.C. metro region with a collective vision: to transform public life by providing healthy, low-stress access to open space and reliable transportation for people of all ages and abilities. The Coalition has been meeting regularly since the 2015 Trails Symposium last November and has made tremendous progress, including establishing a steering committee and three working groups, and developing governance structures and a graphic identity.
More information

DC CIRCULATOR NATIONAL MALL ROUTE CONNECTS RIDERS TO PARKS

Location: Washington, DC
Parks & Partners involved: DC DOT, National Mall and Memorial Parks

Story Snapshot: A partnership with the City’s Department of Transportation and NPS enhances affordable alternative transportation options and connects park resources to the city’s fabric by expanding the existing five route Circulator bus system to include a new National Mall route. The National Mall route includes 15 stops that provide access to National Mall and Memorial Park. The route offers frequent (every 10 minutes), low cost service ($1) that is fully integrated into the larger local and regional transit network. In peak months ridership exceeds 60,000 riders per month, connecting diverse visitors and residents to cultural and historical resources on the National Mall.
More information

BUILDING AN URBAN TRAIL CORRIDOR

Location: Lowell, MA
Parks & Partners involved:
Lowell National Historical Park, State of Massachusetts, Gateway Cities Program, Lowell Parks and Conservation Trust, City of Lowell, Rivers, Trails, and Conservation Assistance Program (RTCA)

Story Snapshot: This multi-decade project is creating a multi-use recreational trail on the Concord River connecting 25-mile and 200-mile circuit trails to an urban trail corridor. The project has been ongoing for 30 years and the majority of sections have been completed (actual trail building started in 2000). In addition to the trail construction, the Rivers, Trails, and Conservation Assistance Program installed Arts in the Park art work along trail aligned with the theme of native birds and native texts. The trail also features multilingual cultural education materials in Cambodian, Portuguese, Spanish, and English.
More information

DISCOVER NIAGARA LINKS CULTURAL & NATURAL HERITAGE SITES

Location: Niagara Falls, NY
Parks & Partners involved:
Niagara Falls NHA, New York State Parks, Destination Niagara USA, New York Power Authority, City of Niagara Falls

Story Snapshot: The Discover Niagara Shuttle is an ongoing initiative of the Niagara Falls National Heritage Area, its stakeholders, partners, supporters and friends to provide a free hop-on hop-off shuttle service that connects the falls with other cultural and natural resources in the Heritage Area. Most tourists stop at Niagara Falls, but the Heritage Area features another 15 sites along a 14-mile "Falls to the Fort" trail. The shuttle is linked to both a vehicle tracking and scheduling mobile app, as well as the "Discover Niagara" app, which provides a guide to the history of the falls, places to visit, and a touring map.
More information

TROLLEY LINKS CITY TO NEARBY NATIONAL PARKS

Location: Homestead, FL
Parks & Partners involved: Everglades National Park, Biscayne National Park, National Parks Conservation Association, City of Homestead

Story Snapshot: The City of Homestead created this pioneer program in 2013 to offer free public transportation to Everglades and Biscayne National Parks by expanding its already successful local trolley service. In addition, both Everglades National Park and Biscayne National Park have partnered to offer free Park admission to those on the National Parks Trolley. This ground-breaking project was the first of its kind nationally to offer public transportation to two National Parks, and continues to operate every weekend to connect Homestead residents to the national park on either side of the community.
More information

EVERY KID IN A PARK

Location: Hopkins, SC
Parks & Partners involved: Congaree National Park, National Council of Negro Women, National Park Foundation

Story Snapshot: Fourth-grade students from Clarendon, Williamsburg and Sumter counties visited Congaree National Park in Hopkins, thanks to a transportation grant provided through the work of park staff and the National Council of Negro Women. Throughout March and April 2017, 972 students visited the park as part of the grant partnership and the nationwide Every Kid in a Park effort. While there, the students participated in the Junior Ranger program and were presented badges during a swearing-in ceremony at the Harry Hampton Visitor’s Center.
More information

________________________________________________________________

YOUTH EDUCATION AND RECREATION

BIG RIVER JOURNEY

Location: St. Paul, MN
Parks & partners involved:
Mississippi National River Recreation Area, Padelford Riverboats, Minnesota DNR, Science Museum of Minnesota, Historic Fort Snelling, Saint Paul Audubon Society

Story snapshot: An NPS-led collaboration of 12 partner organizations has connected over 70,000 diverse urban students to the science, heritage and stewardship of the Mississippi River through riverboat field trips, teacher workshops, classroom service learning activities. The program connects participants to the river and supports stewardship with science-based curricula. Per session, two groups of 120 kids, grades 3-5, rotate on-board education and on-land activities ranging from riverboat piloting & aquatic ecosystems to confluence archaeology and forest hikes. Staff concurrently train teachers at workshops, providing lesson plans and examples so that teachers can facilitate connected lessons outside of the trip.
More information

CANOEMOBILE INTRODUCES YOUTH TO ADVENTURES OUT ON THE WATER

Location: Minneapolis-St. Paul, MN
Parks and partners involved:
Mississippi National River Recreation Area, Mississippi Park Connection, NPS, Wilderness Inquiry

Story snapshot: Canoemobile brings thousands of diverse, urban students each year onto urban rivers in voyageur canoes to strengthen outdoor skills, encourage active lifestyles, and educate them about the cultural and natural history of the national treasure in their backyards. The program started through the partnership of NPS, Wilderness Inquiry, and Mississippi Park Connection in the Twin Cities, MN. In 2010 the success of the program warranted a pilot trip in Washington D.C. Today Canoemobile introduces youth to urban waterways in over 40 cities, and helps form local coalitions dedicated to providing outdoor opportunities to youth.
More information

THE IMMIGRANT JOURNEY

Location: Lowell, MA
Parks and partners involved: Lowell National Historical Park, Tsongas History Center

Story snapshot: An educational program created in partnership with the Tsongas History Center and Lowell to expose students to stories of immigration. Students role-play as an immigrant who traveled to America, examine cultural artifacts, and debate a controversial issue as part of an 1831 town meeting. The program provides pre- and post-visit lessons to teacher to extend and connect the themes to the classroom.
More information

LADIES IN LEADERSHIP LEARN ABOUT MAMMOTH CAVE NATIONAL PARK

Location: Louisville, KY
Parks and partners involved: Mammoth Cave National Park, Ticket-To-Ride Program

Story snapshot: Culturally and racially diverse girls from the all-girl Fredrick Law Olmstead Academy South middle school in Louisville visit the park annually to learn about importance of Mammoth Cave and protecting the larger watershed. Many of these young women are first and second generation Americans and this program connects many of them to their first national park. Interpretive staff train teachers on the Karst region so they can go back into their schools and teach their students about the concepts they learned at the park.
For more information contact Jennifer Shackelford, NPS Environmental Education Coordinator at [e-mail]

USDA SUMMER LUNCH PROGRAM CONNECTS KIDS TO PARKS AND MEALS

Location: Atlanta, GA
Parks and partners involved:
Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield Park
Greening Youth Foundation
YMCA
Cobb County's Water Department

Story snapshot: Each summer the US Department of Agriculture provides free lunches to low income community members at neighborhood parks and recreation centers. To enhance this, Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield Park sent rangers out for impromptu stewardship education activities at lunch sites when possible. The park also served as a host feeding site and provided programming designed to increase awareness of the National Park Service. In conjunction with this program, Kennesaw partnered with the Greening Youth Foundation, Cobb County's Water Department, and with select YMCA branches to offer field trip programming and bring more diverse youth to the park.
More information

SUMMERTIME CAMP CONNECTS KIDS TO THE NATIONAL PARK IN THEIR BACKYARD

Location: Atlanta, GA
Parks and partners involved:
Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area, Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield Park, Martin Luther King, Jr. National Historic Site, YMCA of Metropolitan Atlanta, Robert D. Fowler YMCA

Story snapshot: This innovative partnership program brings 4,000 children, ages 5-15, for a multi-week immersive summer program in the heart of the Chattahoochee River to learn, explore, and discover the national park in their urban backyard. Campers learn more about Dr. King's legacy, the science behind the Civil War, and the natural heritage of the Chattahoochee River. Participants will walk away with new learning and new experiences—some will be visiting a national park for the very first time.
More information

IT'S FUN TO GO TO THE PARKS

Location: Jacksonville, FL
Park and partners:
Timucuan Ecological and Historic Preserve, Dutton Island Preserve, Timucuan Parks Foundation, Groundwork Jacksonville

Story snapshot: The Timucuan Parks Foundation hosted 20 urban core youth for two days in two of Jacksonville’s premier parks – the Timucuan Ecological and Historic Preserve and Dutton Island Preserve, where the teens engaged in fun activities that showcased ways to enjoy the parks and healthy outdoor recreation, including kayaking, fishing, swimming, walking, outdoor cooking, meditating, and a ranger program.
For more information contact Felicia Boyd, Program and Outreach Driector for Timucuan Trail Parks Foundation at [e-mail]