With the start of the new school year, fourth graders and their families can claim their free Every Kid in a Park pass which allows free entry into all federal parks, forests, and recreation areas for a full year.

Starting Sept. 1, fourth graders can print out a paper voucher for free entry into all federal lands by visiting the Every Kid in a Park website at www.everykidinapark.gov.

Students and their families can also redeem their vouchers for passes at any Forest Service office.

The voucher and passes are valid from Sept. 1 through Aug. 31, 2017.

The Forest Service is partnering with schools and educators across Oregon and Washington to plan Every Kid in a Park events in local communities and distribute passes at back-to-school events this fall.

For more information on upcoming Every Kid in a Park events, contact your local forest service office.

Teachers or adults who engage fourth-graders through a youth-serving organization can print paper passes, and find activities and lesson plans, at www.everykidinapark.gov/get-your-pass/educator.

The Every Kid in a Park initiative encourages valuable opportunities to explore, learn, and play in the spectacular places that belong to us all and aims to inspire future generations to serve as stewards of these places.

Research shows that children ages 9 to 11 are at a unique developmental stage in their learning, as they begin to understand how the world around them works in more concrete ways.

By targeting fourth graders, the program works to ensure every child in the U.S. has the opportunity to visit and enjoy public lands by the time he or she is 11 years old.

For more information, visit www.everykidinapark.gov.

To learn more about the U.S. Forest Service in the Pacific Northwest, and to find passes and permits, visit www.fs.usda.gov/r6.