For the past two years, the Sierra Club - Wisconsin Chapter Lands Team has been advocating for the federal Every Kid Outdoors pass, which allows free entry into national parks for 4th graders and their families, to be accepted at Wisconsin state parks. There has been growing momentum over the past year, and we continue to advocate for this policy change.
Last legislative session, we saw exciting steps toward making this program a reality. The Every Kid Outdoors Act (2021 session bill SB376/AB375) was a proposed bill that would expand the federal Every Kid Outdoors program to Wisconsin State Parks. The passage of this bill would provide free access to state parks for all fourth graders and their families, leading to numerous benefits on childrens’ physical and mental health and encouraging their interest in the outdoors.
The bill passed the Senate Committee on Sporting Heritage, Small Business and Rural Issues and the Assembly Committee on Forestry, Parks and Outdoor Recreation last February. However, it did not make it to a floor vote during the 2021-2022 session. The legislature will not meet again until the 2023 session, during which this bill will have to be reintroduced and voted on in committee again. Fortunately, it will likely move out of committee more swiftly this time around since committee members have already expressed that they are in favor of the bill during the last session. We are optimistic that the Every Kid Outdoors Act will reach a floor vote in the 2023 session. However, we still have to press forward to make sure it is a bipartisan priority.
We can ensure that the Every Kid Outdoors Act is given priority in the 2023 session by demonstrating to the legislature that it has widespread public support. The results of the 2022 Wisconsin Conservation Congress survey have helped us do this: over 75% of respondents voted in support of the DNR registering in support of future similar bills and in the 2021 Wisconsin Conservation Congress survey, Every Kid Outdoors was the most widely supported program in the survey. To expand our outreach further, we are currently launching a letter campaign to invite school districts and other child-centered organizations to join our efforts. You can join our efforts as well by signing and sharing our petition, volunteering with the Sierra Club Wisconsin Chapter, and donating to the lands team.
All of Wisconsin’s children deserve to experience our beautiful state parks, so let’s do everything we can to provide them with equitable access!