Kids to Parks

Our Public Lands: Where Memories Are Made

U.S. Senator Martin Heinrich with students from Columbia Elementary School at White Sands National Monument, April 24, 2019.

Our national parks and public lands offer endless opportunities for kids to explore, learn, and play. Connecting kids to the outdoors, whether it’s playing in the local park down the street or hiking and camping in a national park, can inspire a lifelong connection to conservation, while reaping all of the health benefits that go along with an active lifestyle.

I worked to pass a bipartisan resolution designating May 18, 2019 as Kids to Parks Day. This year’s ninth annual Kids to Parks Day kicks off a summer-long series of events at local, state, and national parks.

Our public lands are where memories are made, and I encourage New Mexico families to take advantage of the Kids to Parks events taking place across the state during the week of May 11th – 18th. Here are resources for Kids to Parks Day and visiting our treasured public lands in New Mexico:

Join the conversation online using the hashtags: #KidsToParks & #FindYourPark

National Park Trust: List of New Mexico Kids To Parks Day Events

Our newest National Monuments in New Mexico: 

National Park Service: National Parks In New Mexico

New Mexico State Parks: Find A Park

Every Kid in a Park Pass: Fourth graders get free access to hundreds of parks, lands, and waters for an entire year

National Park Service: Junior Ranger Programs

Teaching with Historic Places, New Mexico Lesson Plans:

Additional Resources:

Wilderness Explorers Booklet

Discover Ways for the Family to Enjoy the Parks

NPF Kids Activity Map

Park Activities and Hiking Games Bordom Busters

30 Things to Find at the Park

Color Scavenger Hunt for Kids 

Latest

  • Heinrich Announces Plan To Establish Bandelier National Park and Preserve

    SANTA FE, N.M. -Today, alongside tribal leaders, wildlife advocates, and northern New Mexico elected officials, U.S. Senator Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.), a member of the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, announced his plans to introduce legislation establishing Bandelier National Park and Preserve. Read More

  • Udall & Heinrich: Major Public Lands Package with Historic New Mexico Conservation Wins Signed Into Law

    WASHINGTON - Today, U.S. Senators Tom Udall and Martin Heinrich announced that the John D. Dingell Jr. Conservation, Management, and Recreation Act, a sweeping bipartisan public lands package that includes several New Mexico conservation priorities championed by Udall and Heinrich, including landmark legislation to permanently authorize the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF), along with three major bills to establish wilderness within the Organ Mountains-Desert Peaks (OMDP) National Monument and Río Grande del Norte National Monument, was signed into law. The historic package of over 100 land and water conservation bills will protect and expand our nation's public lands and natural resources, strengthen local economies, and designate over a million acres as wilderness across the country, including 273,000 acres in New Mexico alone.     Read More

  • Heinrich, Alexander Every Kid Outdoors Act Signed Into Law

    Today, U.S. Senators Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.) and Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.), members of the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, announced that their bipartisan legislation, the Every Kid Outdoors Act, was signed into law as part of the broader John D. Dingell Jr. Conservation, Management, and Recreation Act. The Every Kid Outdoors Act will provide America's fourth graders and their families free entrance to America's public lands, waters, and historic sites, including national parks – more than 2,000 sites in all. Read More

  • Heinrich Advances Bipartisan Every Kid Outdoors Act

    Today, in a Senate Energy and Natural Resources markup, U.S. Senator Martin Heinrich (D-N.M) advanced legislation he introduced with U.S. Senator Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.) to provide America's fourth graders and their families free entrance to America's public lands, waters, and historic sites, including national parks -- more than 2,000 sites in all. Read More

  • Southern N.M.'s Outdoor Economy

    Southern New Mexico has become a national model for how much public lands and specially designated areas can boost local economies. For the last century, national treasures like the Gila Wilderness, Carlsbad Caverns, and White Sands have attracted visitors to the region. And over the last four years, our state's newest national monument, Organ Mountains-Desert Peaks, transformed iconic landscapes that locals had long recognized for their beauty and history into a beacon for outdoor enthusiasts around the world. … 

    Read More

  • Editorial: NM’s White Sands worthy of national park status

    President Herbert Hoover established it as a national monument in 1933 and now U.S. Sen. Martin Heinrich has introduced legislation to elevate White Sands to a national park. That would certainly be good for New Mexico, resulting in increased visitation and enhanced recognition for the breathtaking site. Elected officials and community leaders have been chasing park status for years. Read More