For Immediate Release: September 23, 2008 Contact(s): Kathy Kupper, 202-208-6843
National Park Service waives entrance fees this weekend
(Washington, D.C.) – All National Park Service sites will offer free visitor admission this weekend. There will be no entrance fees on September 27 to celebrate National Public Lands Day and on September 28 to honor the country’s newest citizens. “The fee free weekend provides a great opportunity for people to explore their public lands, including the 391 units of the National Park Service,” said National Park Service Director Mary A. Bomar. “The men and women of the National Park Service are proud to preserve 84 million acres of this nation for the enjoyment of the American people.” In addition to waiving entrance fees, national parks and other public lands will host special programs and volunteer projects on Saturday to commemorate the 15th annual National Public Lands Day. In all 50 states, volunteers can take part in projects to improve public places. Last year, more than 110,000 people helped with tasks such as planting trees, building trails, or removing invasive plants. Anyone who volunteers at a National Park Service area on National Public Lands Day will receive a free one day pass valid for future use at any site. On Sunday, Department of the Interior agencies, including the National Park
Service, will not charge anyone entrance fees in tribute to newly naturalized citizens. “Each park is a special place set aside to tell a part of our country’s story,” said Bomar, herself a naturalized citizen. “I feel it is important that every American, no matter how long his or her family has lived in the United States, connects firsthand with the heritage preserved in National Park Service sites.” Usually, 147 of the country’s 391 National Park Service sites charge entrance fees ranging from $3 to $25. The other 244 areas do not have entrance fees.