Congressman Dan Kildee Seeks to Open Up National Parks to More Michigan Youth
Congressman Dan Kildee (MI-05) today announced that he has introduced two bills that would make it easier for children and their families to visit National Parks in Michigan and across the country. The first bill, the National Parks for America’s Children Act, would require the U.S. National Park Service (NPS) to ensure that youth from urban areas – including cities like Flint, Saginaw and Bay City – have better access to national parks through partnerships with schools, transportation to the parks, and affordable admission fees. The second bill would allow children under the age of 18 and their families to visit any federal recreational lands free on their birthday. Along with the national parks, federal recreation lands include wildlife refuges, forests, lakeshores, seashores, monuments and grasslands.
“From Sleeping Bear Dunes to the Shiawassee Refuge, Michigan is home to many beautiful national parks and it is important that kids from cities like Flint, Saginaw and Bay City have access to these unique natural treasures,” said Congressman Kildee. “Growing up around Michigan’s lake shores and forests was an essential part of my childhood, and I want every child to be able to experience this important part of our country’s heritage and way of life.”
Children growing up in urban areas currently face unique challenges when trying to visit national parks. Congressman Kildee’s legislation would partner with local schools to educate more youth about national parks and work with the NPS to provide transportation, attendance and lodging grants for urban youth to visit federal recreational lands. In Congress, Kildee has been a strong proponent of our country’s national parks.
In the 113th Congress, Congressman Kildee cosponsored H.R. 163, the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore Conservation and Recreation Act, which was signed into law by President Obama on March 13, 2014. This bill designates certain land and inland water within the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore as wilderness, increasing the protected lands in Michigan.
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