Natasha Blakely, natasha.blakely@sierraclub.org
Washington, D.C. – The Department of the Interior announced today that the previously publicized lifetime pass for veterans to access federal recreation sites, including the National Parks, will officially be available on Veterans Day. Veterans will be able to access more than 2,000 sites including parks, wildlife refuges and forests.
Authorized by the Alexander Lofgren Veterans in Parks Act which passed in December 2021, each pass covers entrance fees for a driver and all passengers in a personal vehicle or the passholder and up to three adults. Veterans can present their Department of Defense ID Card, Veteran Health ID, Veteran ID Card, or veteran’s designation on a state-issued US driver’s license or ID card at participating federal recreation areas to receive the pass, and Gold Star Families can obtain a voucher by visiting the U.S. Geological Survey’s website.
In response, Military Outdoors Campaign Manager Aaron Leonard released the following statement:
“Research has shown – and we have seen first hand – that spending time in nature has measurable, positive effects on veterans’ physical and mental health and overall wellbeing. But barriers still exist preventing many veterans from experiencing those benefits, including cost. By removing the need to reapply for a pass every year, veterans can spend less time and money applying and more time outside, reaping nature’s many benefits. ”
“We are also asking that the administration take this a step further and make the passes more easily available to veterans by issuing them at the 1,298 VA health care facilities across the country. Currently passes are only obtainable at limited in-person locations.”
About the Sierra Club
The Sierra Club is America’s largest and most influential grassroots environmental organization, with millions of members and supporters. In addition to protecting every person's right to get outdoors and access the healing power of nature, the Sierra Club works to promote clean energy, safeguard the health of our communities, protect wildlife, and preserve our remaining wild places through grassroots activism, public education, lobbying, and legal action. For more information, visit www.sierraclub.org.