Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield Park wins Open Outdoors for Kids Grant
The park will use this funding to hire a public land corps intern for four months, and to lessen transportation costs for student field trips to the park, according to a Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield Park news release.
"The National Park Foundation established Open OutDoors for Kids in 2011, and a Nov. 13 news release notes that 99 grantees will receive a total of $4.4 million in funding during the 2023-2024 school year", said the National Park Foundation. Despite the full list of grantees being available online, funding amounts are not specified in the document.
Going back to its roots, "The National Park Foundation dates back to 1967 and is 'the only national charitable nonprofit whose mission is to directly support the National Park Service.' Before the foundation was chartered, there was no mechanism for private citizens to support the National Park Service, even if their intention was a land donation", according to NationalParks.org. Additionally by 1977, the organization had made significant land purchases including Gettysburg, the Blue Ridge Parkway and Muir Woods.
Over time, "the Open OutDoors Kids program has brought fourth graders into an immersive program at Zion National Park," where students learned important principles like 'Leave No Trace' as well as how to take care of parks generally. Notably these students were part of pre-visit virtual or in-class lessons as preparation for their visits. Another program under Open OutDoors involves learning about historical events such as "History Revealed: Voices of River Raisin," at River Raisin National Battlefield Park, in Monroe, Michigan; where students learn about regional history and effects on local groups such as Great Lakes Native Nations.
Lastly on Feb.18th 1917 The Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield Site was established and was managed by the War Department. After 18 years, ownership and management was transferred to the National Park Service and the site was renamed Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield Park. The park houses three monuments, four stone markers, and the battlefield itself. The park aims to educate the public about local history and inhabitants who've lived in the area as far back as 1000 B.C., according to the Park’s History and Culture web page.
