Fourth Grade Students Receive Free Admission to America’s Public Lands for a Year
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CHEYENNE, Wyo – Calling all fourth graders!!! BLM is happy to once again sponsor “The Every Kid Outdoors Program.” The annual pass provides fourth grade students, along with their families, friends and classmates, free access to more than 2,000 other federal recreation areas for a year. The program encourages fourth graders to explore, learn, and recreate in spectacular settings, including national parks, wildlife refuges, marine sanctuaries, and forests.
“There is so much to discover on public lands,” said Acting BLM Wyoming State Director Duane Spencer. “Visits on class trips or family vacations to experience our wide open landscapes and historic treasures will provide lifelong memories.”
To obtain the free pass, fourth grade students can visit the Every Kid Outdoors website, participate in a short educational activity, and download a voucher. The voucher is valid for between September 1, 2019 and August 31, 2020 to correspond to the traditional school year. The voucher may be exchanged for a plastic keepsake pass at participating federal lands.
The voucher or pass grants free entry for fourth graders, all children under 16 in the group and up to three accompanying adults (or an entire car for drive-in parks) to most federally managed lands and waters. The pass does not cover expanded amenity fees such as camping or boat rides.
The great outdoors make a great classroom. Fourth grade educators are encouraged to take advantage of the wide range of educational programs and tools associated with the Every Kid Outdoors program. Educational activities, field trip options, information and tools in English and Spanish, and the ability to print vouchers for passes for students are all available on the website.
The Every Kid Outdoors Program was established by Congress in 2019. It replaces the Every Kid in a Park Program which was launched in 2015. It is an interagency collaboration between the National Park Service, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Bureau of Reclamation, Bureau of Land Management, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and U.S. Forest Service.
For more information about the Every Kid Outdoors Program, go to: https://everykidoutdoors.gov, call Keith Brown, outdoor recreation planner at (307) 775-6031, kmbrown@blm.gov or Cindy Wertz, public affairs specialist, (307) 775-6014, cwertz@blm.gov.
The BLM manages more than 245 million acres of public land located primarily in 12 western states, including Alaska, on behalf of the American people. The BLM also administers 700 million acres of sub-surface mineral estate throughout the nation. Our mission is to sustain the health, diversity, and productivity of America’s public lands for the use and enjoyment of present and future generations.