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Yosemite National Park Distributed Approximately 1,000 Free Park Passes to Fourth Graders So Far This Year

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Fourth grade students from Indianola Elementary in Selma, CA proudly display their "Every Kid in a Park" passes. These students, along with approximately 400 other students, received their passes at Yosemite's 125th Anniversary celebration on Oct. 1, 2015
NPS Photo


Yosemite National Park has distributed approximately 1,000 free park passes to Fourth Graders through the “Every Kid in a Park” program. Fourth graders from across the country brought their vouchers to Yosemite to receive the free park pass. The passes are intended for fourth grade students and their families to visit more than 2,000 federal recreation areas through August 31, 2016.

“This is a tremendously exciting program and we are proud to participate in it as we approach the Centennial year of the National Park Service,” stated Don Neubacher, Yosemite National Park Superintendent. “It is extremely gratifying to see these young people obtain their passes and be excited about visiting national parks across the country.”

Fourth grade students can visit http://www.everykidinapark.gov to complete an activity and receive their voucher. The voucher can then be redeemed at park entrance stations for the Every Kid in A Park pass. 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.

On October 1, 2015, Yosemite National Park commemorated its 125th Anniversary. Over 1500 people attended the ceremony to honor Yosemite’s past, present, and future. Approximately 400 students attended from the Yosemite area and California’s Central Valley, with many of them being first-time visitors. The park worked with the teachers of fourth grade classes to print vouchers and obtain the park passes for their students after the ceremony. The students were excited to receive the park passes and many of them have returned to Yosemite using their passes they received through the “Every Kid in a Park” program.
I don't want to sound cynical but what's the conversion factor that makes Fourth Graders = "Every Kid?" Don't get me wrong...I'm very supportive about anything that gets kids interested in the NP's and wilderness conservation, I just wonder why younger (or slightly older) kids are excluded. Is it simple economics or is there some other rationale that I'm missing?
I found one explanation here:
bcnews.go.com/Politics/white-house-picked-4th-graders-free-national-park/story?id=29080465



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 12/15/2015 09:40AM by parklover.
TY for catching that.
Ah...thought it might be something along those lines. Thanks for the link...
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