OLYMPIC NATIONAL PARK — The National Park Foundation has given Olympic National Park a field trip grant that will help bring local students into the wilderness.
The Open OutDoors for Kids grant will connect 732 students from Port Angeles, Sequim, Crescent and Quillayute Valley school districts with different outdoor activities at the park that include exploring its forest ecosystem, visiting Lake Crescent, hiking the Hall of Mosses Trail or visiting Ruby Beach.
During the trips, which will start in April 2018, students will record observations at each site and share their findings with others.
“Nothing is better for my daughters than getting away from the screens and into the outdoors,” said U.S. Rep. Derek Kilmer, D-Gig Harbor, who announced the grant Thursday. Kilmer represents the 6th Congressional District, which includes the North Olympic Peninsula.
“The experiences people have at Olympic National Park are enormously special, and every student should have a chance to make memories there.”
National Park Foundation President Will Shafroth said he still recalls exploring a national park as a child.
“I’m thrilled that our National Park Foundation grants make it possible for hundreds of thousands of kids to experience the wonder of parks for the first time, sparking a lifelong love for national parks,” Shafroth said.
