Army Corps of Engineers supports temporarily expanding Every Kid Outdoors recreation pass to include 5th grade students

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Public Affairs Office
Published Nov. 10, 2020
Updated: Nov. 10, 2020
The newest Tully Lake Junior Rangers pose for a picture with their Summer Ranger mentors after the graduation ceremony.

The newest Tully Lake Junior Rangers pose for a picture with their Summer Ranger mentors after the graduation ceremony. The summer Park Ranger Team at Tully Lake in Royalston, Massachusetts held the second of two Junior Ranger Session, August 9, 2019. Over a dozen children participated in the event and became Junior Rangers at the end of teh day. The program was designed to get children outdoors and to instroduce them to the concept of environmental stewardship.

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers announced today it will temporarily expand the Every Kid Outdoors recreation pass to include 5th grade students for the 2020-2021 academic year. This change will ensure that 5th grade students who may not have been able to make full use of the Every Kid Outdoors Annual 4th Grade Pass during the 2019-2020 academic year due to the COVID-19 pandemic will have a chance to do so during the current academic year through Aug. 31, 2021.

Fifth grade students (including home-schooled and free-choice learners) can visit the National Park Service website at https://www.nps.gov/kids/fifthgrade.htm to obtain and print a paper voucher. Students should present the paper voucher at federal locations that charge a per-person entrance fee, a standard amenity fee, or day use recreation fee. The voucher admits the student, as well as traveling companions who are occupants of a single, private non-commercial vehicle or the student and three persons (16 and older) where per person fees are charged. Electronic versions of paper vouchers will not be accepted. The paper voucher cannot be exchanged for the physical Every Kid Outdoors Annual 4th Grade Pass. The voucher does not apply to camping and camping-related services, or fees for specialized facilities (group picnic shelters) and events. Facilities and activities on federal recreation lands managed by private concessionaires are also not covered by the voucher.

“Today, I directed the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to implement the Interagency Pass Program at USACE-managed recreation areas to provide free access to 5th graders. We fully support the decision to expand free access in this manner to ensure that the intent of the Every Kid Outdoors program is met. USACE participation will provide an opportunity for 5th graders to take advantage of the program when they may not have been able to enjoy the use of USACE recreation areas as a result of the pandemic,” said The Honorable R. D. James, Assistant Secretary of the Army for Civil Works.

A primary goal of the Every Kid Outdoors program is to bridge the growing disconnect between the next generation and the great outdoors, and to inspire children to become future stewards of our nation’s natural and historic treasures. For more information, please visit https://everykidoutdoors.gov/index.htm.

USACE is a leading federal provider of outdoor recreation with more than 400 lakes and river projects located in 43 states. To find the USACE recreation site near you, visit www.CorpsLakes.us.

 

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Contact
Doug Garman
202-761-1807
doug.m.garman@usace.army.mil
or
Gene Pawlik
202-761-7690

Release no. 20-200