The Big South Fork National River and Recreation Area has recently been awarded a "Ticket to Ride" grant from the National Park Foundation. The grant will allow the park to bring school children from urban areas to experience the beauty of the Big South Fork while engaging in in-depth educational programs.
The Big South Fork National River and Recreation Area is one of a select number of national parks across the country selected to receive a 2014 Ticket to Ride grant from the National Park Foundation, the official charity of America's national parks. The grant is intended to provide an opportunity for underserved students to visit national parks within driving distance of their homes. Realizing that transportation costs can be a limiting factor that prevents schools from using the parks as an outdoor classroom, the National Park Foundation has generously provided funding for transportation to bring students into the Big South Fork. These visits are intended to connect diverse,underserved and under-engaged populations throughout the United States with their national parks in innovative and meaningful ways.
The grant will allow hundreds of school children and their teachers to travel into the Blue Heron Mining Camp by way of the Big South Fork Scenic Railway. When students arrive at Blue Heron, they will be engaged by their teachers and national park rangers to learn about their heritage and local history.
For more information about this program or any other Big South Fork program, please call park headquarters at (423) 569-9778.
Source: U.S. Department of the Interior, National Park Service
