Concessioners Support Every Kid in a Park

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Washington, D.C. – Large and small concessioners serving visitors to national parks across the nation are responding enthusiastically to the President’s Every Kid in a Park initiative, a partner-based effort to connect over four million fourth graders with state and national parks and other public lands and waters.  The program has important education, health and fun components.

Each year, concessioners provide some 100 million national park visitors with lodging, food, retail and transportation services as well as outfitter and guide adventures.  The companies work with the National Park Service and various other partners, from gateway communities to park friends organizations, to deliver great experiences in great places.  The trade association of these concessioners, the National Park Hospitality Association (NPHA), has worked with the White House and federal agencies to provide support for the 4th grader visits as part of school groups and to help the families of the 4th graders use a key feature of Every Kid in a Park – a year-long pass allowing free entrance by the 4th graders and their families to national parks and other federal recreation sites.

NPHA Chairman Terry MacRae announced that concessioners will be playing a direct role in the visits of at least 15,000 4th graders to some 30 national park units during the 2015-16 academic year.  The services concessioners will provide will vary and include free boat transport of classes to destinations such as the Statue of Liberty, Alcatraz and Fort Sumter, overnight lodging in Grand Teton for 4th graders from a Title I school in Idaho, discounts on recreation on the National Mall, lunches for 1,000 4th graders at the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island, and many other park experiences – including overnight stays – across the country.  The concessioners delivered an initial pledge to the White House Council on Environmental Quality, and renewed this promise during the initiative’s one-year anniversary in February. 

MacRae noted that these commitments will extend beyond the current academic year.  “Like the White House, we understand that a changing America makes special outreach efforts inviting youth to learn more about their shared legacy of our parks and Great Outdoors vital.  This effort needs to continue year after year – becoming an institutionalized part of every American youth’s educational career.  Our efforts will be aimed at making these visits – often first-ever visits to a national park – fun, and making the kids eager to come back for more fun for the rest of their lives.  And while we have them, we will team up with the National Park Service to tell our park stories, let the kids sample some tasty and healthy food and be active,” said MacRae.  “We hope that some of these 4th graders will come back and become some of the 25,000 people we employ in our national parks – or become park rangers!”

Among the parks with concessioners currently participating in the program are:

Big Bend National Park (TX)

Bryce Canyon National Park (UT)

Death Valley National Park (CA)

Dry Tortugas National Park (FL)

Everglades National Park (FL)

Fort Sumter National Monument (SC)

George Washington Memorial Parkway (VA)

Gettysburg National Military Park/Eisenhower National Historic Site (PA)

Glacier National Park (MT)

Glen Canyon National Recreation Area (AZ, UT)

Golden Gate National Recreation Area (CA)

Grand Canyon National Park (AZ)

Grand Teton National Park (WY)

Lake Mead National Recreation Area (NV and AZ)

Lassen Volcanic National Park (CA)

Mount Rainier National Park (WA)

Mount Rushmore National Memorial (SD)

The National Mall (DC)

Olympic National Park (WA)

Rocky Mountain National Park (CO)

Sequoia & Kings Canyon National Parks (CA)

Shenandoah National Park (VA)

Statue of Liberty National Monument (NY)

Yellowstone National Park (ID, MT, WY)

 Learn more about the Every Kid in a Park program at www.everykidinapark.gov.