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New generation of water conservationists, wildlife experts and… prison escapees?
The Yuma Crossing National Heritage Area received a grant of over $50,000 for the fourth year in a row through the National Park Foundation’s Open OutDoors for Kids program, which hosts field trips, classes and outdoor activities to help students connect with national parks.
According to NPF, over 2 million students have taken part in this program since 2011. Open OutDoors for Kids grants helped create and facilitate 83 unique educational programs across the country during the 2022/23 school year.
“We’re really just trying to encourage the kids, their families and the schools to come to our park, learn about the history and engage with it in a fun, hands-on and free way,” said Anna Reagle, YCNHA’s grants and fund development manager. “We wouldn’t be able to do this program without the grant.”
Thanks to NPF funding, YCNHA completely covers admission and transportation costs, providing a free educational experience to 80% of Yuma County’s elementary schools last year. These included third-, fourth- and fifth-graders from Yuma, Somerton, San Luis, Gadsden, Dateland, charter and private schools, homeschool groups and military families from Marine Corps Air Station Yuma.
Attendance has increased during each of the three years that this program has existed, and the goal for this year is to reach 100% of elementary-age students in Yuma County.
YCNHA offers three field trip curriculums, one for each of its three major entities.
Students take part in an escape room-style activity at the Yuma Territorial Prison, during which they search the prison for clues to solve a puzzle and “escape prison.”
“It’s really fun and interactive and a way to get them throughout the museum and learning about history in a fun and engaging way,” Reagle said.
Another activity that is often done in the same trip is a one-and-a-half mile hike through the East Wetlands.
“They learn about native plants and animals, conservation efforts, endangered species, how to be stewards for the environment, and they get to explore the trails through the East Wetlands,” Reagle said.
The third available field trip involves a self-guided tour/scavenger hunt throughout the Colorado River State Historic Park. During this activity, students learn about the history of the Colorado River and build dam and irrigation system models. They also get to send telegraph messages to other students in their group.
Since most of these activities are outdoors, these field trips are only available from October through April, with the first one this year planned for Oct. 3. Reagle said spots are filling up fast, with November already completely booked.
This year’s students will receive a reusable water bottle, congratulatory stickers upon completion of each activity, and a coupon to return to the park for free at a later date with one other person.
Reagle said there has been a concerted effort to find other sources of funding, since the NPF grant is not a yearly guarantee.
“We’re trying to make it more sustainable and get other donations coming in from different community members,” she said, noting that opportunities to sponsor one student, 10 students, a classroom or an entire school are available in YCNHA’s annual sponsorship packet.
“It’s been so amazing and so powerful and we want to keep doing it with or without the grant,” she said, “but we really are so thankful that NPF has given us this grant for the fourth year in a row.”
In addition to the in-person field trip opportunities, YCNHA is developing a virtual field trip that teachers can download and implement in their classrooms for free, complete with interactive videos and an interactive notebook.
“Even if the schools can’t come in person, they can do the field trip online,” Reagle said. “Schools across the country can access that, so our goal is to bring Yuma to everywhere in the U.S.”
Contact Anna Reagle at Anna.Reagle@yumaaz.gov for more information or to book a free tour.
