Fourth-graders are getting their families into federally managed tourist attractions around Southwest Washington, including Fort Vancouver National Historic Site and the Mount St. Helens volcano observatory at Johnston Ridge.
The free passes are a result of a new White House program called Every Kid in a Park. Fourth-graders can go to www.everykidinapark.gov to complete an activity and obtain a free pass that admits their family.
The passes will be valid through Aug. 31.
The program provides entry to more than 2,000 federal recreation areas. The pass is valid for the 2015-2016 school year and grants free entry for fourth-graders and three accompanying adults (or an entire car for drive-in parks) at more than 2,000 federally-managed sites.
There is no entry fee for children 15 and under at Fort Vancouver National Historic Site, but this pass allows students to get their families in for free, as well.
“We want to get kids and their families out and engaged in parks,” said Greg Shine, chief ranger at Fort Vancouver.
It’s a way for park officials to introduce the site to families, then “have them come back for special events, and maybe even get involved as volunteers,” Shine said.
The adult entry fee at Fort Vancouver is $5.
The fourth-grade program is a good match with their educational outreach, Shine added: “That’s the audience our curriculum-based programs serve.”
As the only National Park Service site in the metro area, “We anticipate getting quite a few,” Shine said.
The Johnston Ridge Observatory at Mount St. Helens National Volcanic Monument charges an entry fee of $8 a person. Since the program for fourth-graders started on Sept. 1, “We’ve had a couple,” said Grady Boswell, seasonal park ranger. “We’re trying to empower those fourth-graders. They can sign their names on the back, the same as adults do.”
Unlike some other sites in the area, Johnston Ridge isn’t open year-round.
“Nov. 1 will be the last day of operation” in 2015, Boswell said. “Most seasons, we open the week before the anniversary of the eruption.” (The volcano erupted on May 18, 1980.)
In the Ridgefield National Wildlife Refuge, there is no admission charge to the Carty Unit, but the refuge parking fee is $3 per vehicle. The fourth-graders’ family pass displayed in the car will cover the parking fee, said Chris Lapp, refuge manager.
Every Kid in a Park is supported by eight federal agencies — 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.
