Partners Outdoors

Programs and tips for building and hosting a better outdoor life.

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Motorists Promote Yosemite Right On Their License Plates

A creative partnership between the Yosemite Fund and the California Department of Motor Vehicles essentially has motorists happily paying to promote Yosemite National Park on their bumpers! Drivers can choose to pay extra for a specialty license plate featuring Yosemite’s famous Tunnel View, which financially supports the park and creates free advertising for Yosemite on California’s roads. 

For every Yosemite license plate sold or renewed, the park receives $20 to put into conservation efforts. With 50,000 cars on the road in California with this memorable license plate, this program is a significant source of funding for Yosemite. Sales of these specialty license plates, which feature the iconic Yosemite Valley with the majestic Half Dome in the background, have generated nearly $23 million since the program’s implementation in 1993, and $933,469 in 2008 alone!

The funds generated by the license plates go towards trail repair, bear-proof food containers, habitat restoration and other conservation projects that enrich visitor experiences and the overall health of the park. Similar license plate programs support other national across the country, including Utah’s Arches National Park, Oregon’s Crater Lake National Park, Texas’s Big Bend National Park and Virginia’s Shenandoah National Park.

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Libraries Offer More Than Books for Potential Park Visitors

Connecticut's state parks have reached into a new market and increased visitation by showcasing their offerings in an unusual place - libraries.  The No Child Left Inside State Park Day Pass Library Program distributes a free state park pass to each main library in Connecticut.  Library patrons can check out the free-of-charge pass just like a book!  The program was created in 2005 with a particular target group in mind - mothers bringing their young children to libraries for story hours - and has been wildly popular among this group.

The passes available at the libraries provide free access to any state park or forest in Connecticut that may have an associated entrance fee, as well as free admission to museums located within the state parks.  Each pass has a $100 value, and libraries can purchase additional passes if they would like.  The passes are also numbered so their use can be tracked.

Those checking out the pass can also borrow a copy of Joseph Leary's A Shared Landscape: a Guide and History of Connecticut's State Parks and Forests.  This book helps families plan trips to parks they have never been to before by providing details of the activities and services offered in each park.

As part of the library pass program, there is a display libraries can borrow to further excite children about Connecticut's state parks.  The display highlights various children's books and partners them with state parks where they can then go to make the activities in the book "come to life."

Contact: No Child Left Inside Coordinator; CT Department of Environmental Protection; 79 Elm Street; Hartford, CT 06106.

860-418-5981

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Inner City Kids Given Transportation to Recreation

Transit to Trails is a program that connects urban youth and their families with the outdoors by transporting them from Los Angeles to nearby natural areas and educating them about local ecology, cultural history and healthy lifestyle habits.

 The program aims to overcome a common barrier preventing many urban youth from visiting recreational areas nearby - the lack of readily available public transportation to the four Southern California national forests: Angeles, San Bernardino, Cleveland and Los Padres.

Many city kids have never visited the mountains or beaches, even though they live only a half an hour away.  Transit to Trails serves the neighborhoods and people that do not have equal access to the public recreational lands around them.

Transit to Trails is the result of a partnership between Anahuak Youth Association, The City Project, Mountains and Recreation Conservation Authority, and an anonymous donor.

For more information, visit: http://www.cityprojectca.org/ourwork/t2t.html

Contact: The City Project Equal Justice, Democracy, and Livability for All 1055 Wilshire Blvd., Suite 1660 Los Angeles, CA 90017 Phone: [phone] [email protected]

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Free Fishing in Texas State Parks

Texas State Parks has an innovative way of drawing new fishermen to its parks – free fishing!  This program is excellent for attracting families and recruiting new anglers who may have otherwise been deterred by the requirement of a license, and it provides additional incentive to visit Texas’ State Parks.

This program is offered at more than 50 state parks, many of which host events to generate even more enthusiasm for the sport, such as workshops teaching people how to fish.  Some parks even provide loaner gear for those who are just getting their hooks into the sport.

While anglers still pay park entrance fees, they no longer need a license to fish once inside, as long as the body of water they fish is completely contained within the state park.  Bag and length limits still apply.

Although there was initial concern that free fishing in state parks would reduce the number of fishing licenses sold statewide, there has been no such occurrence.  Fishing has always been a popular pastime in the U.S., and this program helps more budding anglers create memories that will last a lifetime.  Minnesota State Parks also run a similar and very successful free fishing program.

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Kentucky Families Rewarded for Visiting State Parks

Kentucky’s Family Adventure Quest encourages families to get outdoors by offering rewards for completing fun challenges and missions in state parks, where participants also learn the history and ecology of the area they visit.

Families pay a $15 registration fee to become Family Adventure Quest contestants and receive a water bottle, daypack, state travel guide, map and challenge booklet, telling them in detail what will be done to complete their missions.  Most missions require visits to state parks, where families follow hints and clues that lead them to specific spots.  Once they reach the destination, they take a photo to prove they completed the challenge.

 Families that complete the challenges are rewarded with a Kentucky State Park gift card worth $50 to $85, depending on how many challenges are completed.  The gift cards can be used for lodging, food, camping and at gift shops within the state parks.

Many families enjoy themselves so much they come back the next year to repeat the experience, and the Family Adventure Quest makes new missions each year to continue challenging them!  In 2009, in recognition of Abraham Lincoln’s bicentennial, the challenges were themed around Lincoln’s life and legacy.  The program celebrates its 10th year in 2015.

For more information on Kentucky’s Family Adventure Quest, including how to register for 2015, go to: http://parks.ky.gov/family-adventure-quest/default.aspx

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Youth Fishing Passports

Fishing is one of the most popular family outdoor activities and a proven means to connect youth to the outdoors and conservation.  In most states, youth under 16 fish free - no license is required.  Connecticut uses its free YOUth Fishing Passport, though, to connect with kids and deliver a message that having a license is a valuable thing.

The YOUth Fishing Passport is available online and at various events and locations and by registering, kids are issued a lifetime Conservation ID number.  Registration is done online and also provides information about fishing opportunities around the state.  There are two versions of the pass - one for kids under 12 and one for youth under 16.  The version for older youth can be tied to junior hunting and safe boating certificates.

Passport holders are invited to take part in fishing activities specifically designed for kids.  And passport holders receive a variety of benefits from conservation organizations and companies, including free worms, discounts on fishing gear and charters and drawings.  Sponsors include Berkley® and Shakespeare®.

Connecticut's young anglers are urged to catch at least one of every type of fish on the state's "official list" and to try to catch featured fish at specific locations - "Geo-'Catching'!"

Connecticut holds an Annual Trophy Fish Award Ceremony - and there are specific youth awards.

The state's fishing website also links to the Vamos a Pescar website inviting Spanish-speaking Americans to enjoy time fishing.

Connecticut's program is being reviewed in other states as a way to reach youth early with an invitation to enjoy public lands and waters in partnership with recreation and fishing interests and to deter fishing without licences by adults.

For more information, visit: http://www.ct.gov/deep/cwp/view.asp?a=2696&Q=513800&deepNav_GID=1630%20

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Urban Wilderness Canoe Adventure helps connect youth with the outdoors in their own cities and in nearby parks.

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Foster Families Get Free State Park Passes

Any family caring for a foster child in Connecticut can enjoy free access to the 139 state parks and forests the state has to offer!  For years, thanks to generous donations from the Bank of America Charitable Foundation, the Connecticut Association of Foster and Adoptive Parents - in conjunction with the Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) and the Connecticut Department of Children and Families - has been able to offer free state park passes to Connecticut's foster families.

The passes cover the cost of parking fees as associated state parks and allow foster families to explore all of the outdoor recreational opportunities that abound within the Connecticut state park system.

The program is part of the No Child Left Inside® initiative undertaken by the DEP to reconnect families with the outdoors, build the next generation of environmental stewards and showcase Connecticut’s beautiful state parks and forests.

CONTACT: Rachael Sunny

Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection

No Child Left Inside® Coordinator

[phone]

[email protected]