Corps Inviting Fourth Graders To Park In New Initiative

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Savannah District invites fourth-graders and their families to partake in the “Every Kid in a Park” initiative at Hartwell and Thurmond lakes.

Corps officials said the newly launched federal program will provide all fourth-grade students and their families with free admission to Savannah Corps’ recreational areas and more than 2,000 federally managed sites nationwide.

Fourth-graders can visit the “Get Your Pass” section of the Every Kid in a Park website at www.everykidinapark.gov and complete a fun educational activity to obtain and print a personalized voucher for unlimited use at day-use areas and boat ramps for one year.

Passes are valid from Sept. 1, 2015, through Aug. 31, 2016.

At certain sites, fourth-graders can also exchange the paper pass for a durable plastic Interagency Annual 4th GradePass.

The credit card-size durable pass will be available at Hartwell and Thurmond lakes starting in mid-November.

The website also provides information on tips for trip planning and how parents and educators can get involved.

According to the Corps of Engineers, the “Every Kid in a Park” pass admits the fourth-grader and any accompanying passengers in a private, noncommercial vehicle at per vehicle fee areas, or the pass owner and up to three accompanying adults at sites that charge per person.

Fourth-graders must be present for free entry into parks.

At Savannah Corps’ sites, visitors must present the voucher to a Corps’ park ranger.

In unstaffed recreation areas, visitors must hang the voucher from the vehicle’s rear view mirror or place on the dashboard.