NPS Mission - National Park Service

National Park Service FY 2013 Budget Justifications
• WebRangers Program: WebRangers is the service’s online Junior Ranger Program. Through
the program, children gain an awareness of national parks, the first step in a life-long process of
learning about and caring for their natural and cultural heritage. The site consists of over 50
interactive experiences that introduce children to the parks, and to park stories. Upon completing
45 activities, children receive a patch. They maintain their own virtual ranger stations, and can
post stories and photos of their outdoor experiences. Children can also offer their ideas by
answering the open-ended “Question of the Week.” In FY 2011, this program received over
400,000 visits. The average time spent on the site was over 11 minutes, a phenomenal amount of
time when compared to the three minutes spent on most other NPS websites.
• Junior Ranger Ambassador Program: The goal of this program is to assist parks to create or
improve their Junior Ranger program or WebRangers module through a partnership with the
Student Conservation Association (SCA). Interns with a background in design, publication,
education, child psychology, environmental studies/education, and history are recruited by SCA
for this program. The NPS Interpretation and Education Division provides extensive training
courses and coordinates ongoing mentor support for the ambassadors. The ambassadors
promote and deliver Junior Ranger programming to underserved, inner city and rural youth.
Depending on the park need, interns might develop the first Junior Ranger program, or revise and
complete a park’s outdated program. They help build bridges to the community and coordinate
events for local youth. Ambassadors are eligible to receive AmeriCorps education awards for their
service. Many continue their work for the NPS as employees following their internship.
• Youth Partnership Program (YPP): The YPP enhances and increases the number of youth,
who participate in park activities by providing employment and educational opportunities. YPP
introduces youth between 15-25 years of age to career opportunities through internships related
to the various NPS career fields. This program reaches students early in their career decisionmaking
process, and involves these students in real world, intellectually challenging assignments
working side-by-side with park staff on projects that provide career and educational opportunities
in resource protection, research, visitor experience, and other occupations at NPS sites. Students
also learn about multiple career opportunities throughout the National Park System and the
Department of the Interior.
This program is also designed to serve as a recruitment tool to help diversify our workforce and
foster resource stewardship of our parks. Youth participants have an opportunity to gain valuable
work experience and develop an understanding of and appreciation for the National Park Service
mission of preserving unimpaired the natural and cultural resources and values of the national
park system for the enjoyment, education, and inspiration of this and future generations. NPS
YPP allows parks and program offices to utilize non-profit youth serving organizations to provide
participants through cooperative agreements.
The YPP also supports youth oriented programs that encourage activities in land conservation,
interpretation of natural and cultural resources, and resource stewardship ethics. The YPP
provides funding to parks that support the development of new partnerships and helps to maintain
and grow existing ones. The YPP promotes the engagement of underserved communities
through education and outreach activities that target youth and their families. Resource education
is an important YPP objective and each project contains both work goals and substantial
environmental learning goals.
The YPP supports youth volunteer service projects and activities that serve youth such as the
Resource Stewardship Scout Ranger and Girl Scout Ranger Programs. In FY 2011, the Scout
Ranger Program produced more than 156,861 volunteer service hours with 12,813 Boy Scouts
participating and the Girl Scout Ranger Program produced more than 11,586 volunteer service
hours with 2,474 Girl Scouts participating.
• Public Land Corps (PLC): The Public Lands Corps Program Legal Authority is designed to
provide education and work opportunities for men and women between the ages of 16 and 25
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