Cumberland Gap National Historical Park is one of just 30 national parks to receive a 2007 Junior Ranger Ambassadors grant to support the development of a Junior Ranger program and workbook. The grant, issued by the National Parks Foundation, will employ a Student Conservation Association intern to assist with the design, delivery and promotion of the Junior Ranger Program at the park.

Superintendent Mark Woods is enthusiastic about the grant. “During the past several years, we’ve made tremendous strides in improving our visitor services with new exhibits in the park visitor center and throughout the park and with two high definition orientation films. The development of a Junior Ranger program will allow us to further engage children and their families in the process of caring about and caring for the national parks. The National Park Ranger Motto is ‘Explore. Learn. Protect.’ We certainly want children coming to Cumberland Gap and participating in our program to embrace this philosophy.”

The Junior Ranger program, created by the National Park Service in the 1960s, engages kids in age-appropriate activities that introduce them to the treasures of the national park system, allowing them to discover the significance of these special places and to understand the importance of protecting them. Today, the Junior Ranger program serves 383,639 children in 297 parks and includes an online component, WebRangers, which receives over 1 million visitors annually.

This announcement is the latest in the non-profit National Park Foundation’s nationwide support of the Junior Ranger program. Since 2005, the Foundation has directed more than $2.5 million dollars in support of the program including support for the first ever Jr. Ranger Day, an annual celebration of Junior Rangers and the Junior Ranger Program during National Park Week, which was celebrated in April.