Administration Launches Every Kid in a Park
Media Contacts
Environment America
“Our parks are where many of our most unforgettable memories are formed — now more kids can have their first outdoor adventure, first hike, first camping trip, and first encounter with wildlife in our most spectacular places.” – Anna Aurilio, DC Director Environment America
Washington DC – Today President Obama, Secretary Jewell and CEQ Managing Director Goldfuss launched Every Kid in a Park – a program to give every fourth grader and their families free access to national parks.
Environment America DC, Director Anna Aurilio issued the following statement in response:
“Our parks are where many of our most unforgettable memories are formed — now more kids can have their first hike, first time camping, and first encounter with wildlife in our most spectacular places. From the awe-inspiring Half Dome in Yosemite to the ragged coastline of Acadia, America’s national parks and other public lands contain some of the most beautiful sights in the country and some of our most important ecological settings. We’re thrilled that the Obama Administration is doing what it can to ensure that all American families have access to these special places.
“Over the past two years we’ve worked with more than 230 state legislators and over 60 outdoor recreational businesses and hundreds of thousands of Americans to build support for protecting and fully funding our parks and other special places across the nation.
“Beyond the opportunity for adventure and exercise, recent studies also show that exposure to the great outdoors helps with memory and cognitive function, increased creativity, reduced depression and increased immune systems. Thus free access for 4th graders and their families to America’s special outdoor places will be a boon to our nation in so many ways.
“Along with getting our kids outdoors we’re pleased that the President and his Administration have been stalwart champions of permanently and fully funding the Land and Water Conservation Fund and of protecting and using the Antiquities Act. This country needs to use all the tools in our tool box to ensure enduring protections for the places we love and the values we share.”
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Environment America is the national federation of statewide, citizen-based advocacy organizations working for a cleaner, greener, healthier future.
