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Fourth graders join Kaibab National Forest’s Citizen Science Project

Students from Fredonia Elementary School attend a field trip on the North Kaibab Ranger District May 17 to help the forest’s Citizen Science Project. The students were armed with Kindle Fire tablets to photograph and document a variety of plants and animals on the iNaturalist app. (Photo/Kaibab National Forest)

Students from Fredonia Elementary School attend a field trip on the North Kaibab Ranger District May 17 to help the forest’s Citizen Science Project. The students were armed with Kindle Fire tablets to photograph and document a variety of plants and animals on the iNaturalist app. (Photo/Kaibab National Forest)

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Fredonia elementary students examine a toad. (Photo/Kaibab National Forest)

FREDONIA, Ariz. — Outfitted with Amazon Fire tablets and knowledge of the Kaibab National Forest’s 2018 Citizen Science Project through the iNaturalist app, 16 students from Fredonia Elementary School wrapped up the school year with a day-trip roaming among the trees and open meadow at Pleasant Valley in the North Kaibab Ranger District of Kaibab National Forest, May 17.

The day prior North Kaibab Ranger District Education Coordinator Carrie McDonald, provided a brief in-class presentation to instruct students on the mechanics of capturing their love for the outdoors and then sharing their flora and fauna observations through the iNaturalist app.

The field trip was part of the Every Kid in a Park initiative that launched in 2015 to encourage children to visit United States National Parks and public lands and waters. Specific to fourth graders and their families, the program provides free admission to parks and public lands to help engage and create our next generation of park visitors, supporters and advocates.

Every year, beginning Sept. 1, all kids in the fourth grade have access to their own Every Kid in a Park pass at www.everykidinapark.gov. The pass provides free access to national parks across the country. In support of Every Kid in a Park, the National Park Foundation, the official charity of America’s national parks, provides funds to help connect fourth graders to America’s public lands and waters through transportation grants for school field trips.

This year’s tablet excursion was a collaborative effort from the following partners — Fredonia Elementary School, Recreation Resource Management of America, Grand Canyon Association, Kaibab National Forest, and the U.S. Forest Service Southwestern Region.

Photos from the Kaibab National Forest’s Every Kid in a Park program are available at https://tinyurl.com/Kaibab-eKIP. iNaturalist is available for iPhone and Android at iNaturalist.org.

Information provided by Kaibab National Forest.


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