VNP Staff Report
National Park Teen Ambassadors from the Twin Cities and International Falls recently returned from an outdoor learning expedition in Voyageurs National Park.
Staff from partner organizations Wilderness Inquiry, Voyageurs National Park Association and the National Park Service guided the group on the wilderness excursion.
Most of the ambassadors had never visited the park before. The teens paddled canoes, camped for three nights, spotted a gray wolf in Namakan Narrows, stargazed, hiked and swam in the park’s remote Interior Lakes. The group also toured historical and geological sites in the park, learned about bald eagle and invasive species research, toured the Kettle Falls dam and met with representatives from the International Joint Commission. The trip was designed to give the ambassadors a wide variety of national park experiences that they could share with their peers.
“Giving youth the opportunity to spend quality time outdoors has never been more important, said Voyageurs National Park Superintendent Mike Ward. “We are so pleased that we had the partners who could make this happen and that there were 18 brave teens to try it out.”
Before the trip, the 18 ambassadors spent their summer researching creative ways national parks could better reach out to their age group. They came up with several suggestions, including a National Park Service website just for teens, adventure trips, classroom visits, video and wildlife webcams, as well as college prep and teen advocacy activities.
The teens participated in two camping trips over the summer. The trips were designed to give them an unforgettable and educational outdoor experience to share with younger generations. The program was free for all participants so that financial resources were not a limitation for applying. This fall, the Ambassadors will wrap up the program by giving presentations to middle school classrooms regarding the next generation of Ambassadors.
This year marked the first year of the National Park Teen Ambassador program which was funded by the National Park Foundation’s America’s Best Idea Grant. Voyageurs National Park designed the program with collaborators and financial sponsors: Wilderness Inquiry, Voyageurs National Park Association, and the Mississippi National River and Recreation Area.
Voyageurs National Park was selected as one of 49 national parks participating in the 2012 America’s Best Idea program sponsored by the National Park Foundation, the official charity of America’s national parks. Inspired by the critically-acclaimed Ken Burns documentary, The National Parks: America’s Best Idea — the America’s Best Idea grant program funds park projects designed to connect diverse, under-engaged populations throughout the United States with their national parks in innovative and meaningful ways.
The National Park Foundation and Voyageurs National Park wish to thank L.L. Bean, Disney, the Anschutz Foundation, and the Ahmanson Foundation for their generous support of the America’s Best Idea program.
The ambassadors had this to say about their experiences:
“This program is important so that generations to come will also understand how important and special our national parks are.”
“It was really cool to see the stars without light pollution and to see a wolf!”
“I enjoyed everything. The outdoor experience was incredible. We got to see a beautiful natural environment that I never saw before and I’m so thankful for this great opportunity. I learned so much, but I can say my favorite part was swimming to an island on Kabetogama (Lake). I was afraid but the group motivated me and the staff kept me safe.”
“I think it’s important for our national parks to have teen ambassadors because we can go out and experience the park and tell other young people about it to get them interested too. Considering that young people are the future caretakers of every aspect of the country, you want to get them to care more about our national parks so they will always be around.”
“My favorite part about the program was meeting new people and experiencing something I thought I would never experience.”
