State Park Youth Pass
Jennifer Bristol
Information about State Park Youth annual Pass
Recently I have come across a number of youth organizations that didn’t have the full picture of how to obtain or use the State Park Annual Youth pass. I thought I might draft something up to share with the regions to help all understand how the pass works and some of the changes that have been made to open up this resource to be utilized by more youth groups.
1. The pass can now be purchased by any non-profit that is a 501c-3 that serves youth. (This has changed in the past few years. It had been only open to scouting groups in the past. ) This is a positive change to increase access to parks by all non-profits that serve youth.
2. Rather than being issued at the state parks which sometimes are challenging to get to if you are in an urban community, they are now offered through TPWD headquarters and sent out to the organizations.
3. Youth ages 13-17 and their adult chaperones, councilors or youth program team members are alsp covered by the pass when attending the youth trip. The ratio of child to adult must not exceed 50% adults on the trip.
4. If you are taking a youth group to a park and considering doing a service project, always contact the state park manager or interrupter to find out how they can assist with the project.
5. For more information visit- http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/publications/pwdforms/media/pwd_1338_p4000_youth_group_annual_entrance_pass_application_packet.pdf
These are some great changes that are designed to help get more kids into nature and enjoying their public lands. I hope this was informative.
Jennifer Bristol