DeSoto National Memorial joins national efforts to brings more students to parks

BRADENTON -- Students who play a quick game online can now get free access to the country's national parks, as part of a new White House initiative launched this year.

The program is called "Every Kid in a Park" and is meant to connects fourth graders to the great outdoors. Students who go online toeverykidinapark.gov to complete an online activity get a free annual entry pass to more than 2,000 federal recreation areas, including the national parks.

"That's big," said Daniel Stephens, a park ranger at DeSoto National Memorial in Bradenton.

The memorial, on DeSoto Memorial Highway in Bradenton, is one of the included locations. Open daily from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., the DeSoto park is always free, but the new programs applies to all those parks across the country that charge admission

At DeSoto, fourth-grade students -- and others -- have access to guided discovery hikes, Junior Ranger activities and other educational programs.

In addition to the park activities, DeSoto partners with schools for the Parks in Classroom program offering a field trip experience to students in the classroom, teaching them about the "wonders and history of Florida."

In 2014, a total of 342,039 visitors to DeSoto National Memorial spent roughly $19.2 million, a 24 percent increase over last year, according to a National Park Visitor Spending Effects report prepared for the National Parks Service, according to information released at the end of April.

Other Florida parks include the Big Cypress National Preserve in Ochopee, Fort Matanzas National Monument in St. Augustine and Dry Tortugas National Park, 70 miles west of Key West.

This story was originally published September 4, 2015 at 5:19 PM with the headline "DeSoto National Memorial joins national efforts to brings more students to parks ."