FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Friday, June 23, 2017
Contact: Grace Lee, 301-706-3407, grace@parktrust.org
Liza Stearns, 617-201-7217, liza_stearns@nps.gov
Brenna Muller, 202-630-1864, brenna.muller@sierraclub.org
Boston Fourth Graders Receive Passes to Visit Public Lands and Waters
Every Kid in a Park Event at Boston Harbor Islands National Recreation Area connects children with nature
[Boston, MA] – Today, partners came together to ensure kids across America can experience our national parks and public lands. The National Park Trust, The North Face, and the Outdoors Alliance for Kids joined the National Park Service to co-host an Every Kid in a Park event at Boston Harbor Islands National and State Park for 90 fourth graders from The Donald McKay K-8 School. This is the final event in a special Every Kid in a Park event series hosted in five different cities (NYC, D.C, San Francisco, Chicago, and Boston), all funded by The North Face Explore Fund.
“We are proud to support the Every Kid in a Park initiative and programs that expose participants to the beauty and joy of the outdoors,” said Ann Krcik, Senior Director of Outdoor Exploration at The North Face. “Through the Explore Fund grants, we are building a community of outdoor explorers and inspiring people to love and protect the places where we play.”
The students received one-year entry passes to America’s federal public lands and waters through the Every Kid in a Park program, which seeks to connect young people with the great outdoors. By inspiring children to visit their national parks and public lands, waters and shores, the program aims to develop a lifelong connection to these special places shared by all Americans.
“We were delighted to work with The North Face and the Outdoors Alliance for Kids to connect local Boston 4th graders to Boston Harbor Islands National Recreation Area. They experienced a fun-filled day learning about local wildlife, history and outdoor recreation — and the importance of enjoying and preserving these special places,” stated Grace Lee, Executive Director, National Park Trust.
“Providing Boston youth with opportunities to discover and forge connections with the natural wonders and complex stories of their public lands is key to cultivating the next generation of park stewards and civic leaders,” said Michael Creasey, Superintendent of the National Parks of Boston. “We are delighted to welcome these Boston fourth graders to Spectacle Island and trust that the ferry will depart at the end of the day with 90 public lands ambassadors eager to introduce their harbor islands to family and friends.”
“The Outdoors Alliance for Kids is honored to support the Every Kid in a Park program to connect all kids, starting with fourth graders, with the outdoors,” said OAK co-founder and chair, Jackie Ostfeld. “Too few children have opportunities to explore and enjoy the natural world and programs like this ensure more kids have the chance to visit and learn about our shared public lands, waters and shores.”
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About The North Face®: The North Face, a division of VF Outdoor, Inc., was founded in 1966 with the goal of preparing outdoor athletes for the rigors of their next adventure. Today we are the world’s leading outdoor brand, creating athlete-tested, expedition-proven products that help people explore and test the limits of human potential. We protect our outdoor playgrounds and minimize our impact on the planet through programs that encourage sustainability. The North Face products are available at premium and specialty retail sporting goods stores globally and we are headquartered in California on a LEED Platinum-certified campus. For more information, please visit www.thenorthface.com.
About the National Park Service: More than 20,000 National Park Service employees care for America’s 413 national parks and work with communities across the nation to help preserve local history and create close-to-home recreational opportunities. Visit us at www.nps.gov, on Facebook www.facebook.com/nationalparkservice, Twitter www.twitter.com/natlparkservice, and YouTube www.youtube.com/nationalparkservice.
About the National Parks of Boston: The National Parks of Boston is a collection of three National Park Service sites – Boston National Historical Park, Boston African American National Historic Site, and Boston Harbor Islands National and State Park. Established by individual legislation and for designated purposes, the three units have come together under a unified organizational umbrella to collaborate in ways that celebrate our nation’s cultural heritage, reconnect people to history and nature, and provide outdoor recreation opportunities on land and on the water. Visit us at www.nps.gov/boaf, www.nps.gov/bost, www.bostonharborislands.org.
About the MA Department of Conservation and Recreation: Beaches, wooded parks, parkways, and reservoirs – All of these places make up the Massachusetts State Parks. You can find a place to go in all regions of the Commonwealth from Pittsfield to the Boston Harbor Islands. The Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR, Mass Parks) is one of 12 managing partners of this national and state park and owns and manages more than half of the islands including Georges and Spectacle Islands as well as the other four islands that are serviced by the public ferry.
About Boston Harbor Now: In April of 2016, Boston Harbor Now launched as a new non-profit civic organization with a bold mission: to ensure a vibrant and sustainable future for Boston’s harbor, waterfront and islands. Boston Harbor Now works with public and private partners to expand access to open space and recreational, educational and cultural opportunities harbor-wide, to plan for and build an integrated and expanded water transportation system, and to foster economic development and growth that is resilient to sea-level rise and the effects of climate change. Boston Harbor Now plays a unique role as the non-profit partner of the Boston Harbor Islands National and State Park raising funds to help the National Park Service, Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation, the City of Boston and hundreds of youth and community organizations to build visitor amenities and recreational infrastructure like campsites and trail networks, to provide interpretive, educational and cultural programs and volunteer opportunities, and to provide free access for children and families from low-income communities.
About National Park Trust: National Park Trust, a 501(c)(3) non profit, is dedicated to preserving parks today and creating park stewards for tomorrow. Since 1983, NPT has completed land projects benefiting 40 national parks. Since 2009, our Buddy Bison School Program and national Kids to Parks Day have engaged 3,000,000 students across the country with our nation’s parks, public lands and waters (ParkTrust.org).
About the Outdoors Alliance for Kids (OAK): OAK is a national strategic partnership of organizations from diverse sectors with a common interest in connecting children, youth and families with the outdoors. The members of OAK are brought together by the belief that the wellness of current and future generations, the health of our planet and communities and the economy of the future depend on humans having a personal, direct and life-long relationship with nature and the outdoors. OAK brings together nearly 100 businesses and organizations, representing more than 60 million individuals to address the growing divide between children, youth and the natural world. For more information: www.outdoorsallianceforkids.org
Outdoors Alliance for Kids 