?Starting Saturday, active-duty military personnel and their dependents can get a free annual pass to visit any of the country's more than 2,000 national parks, wildlife refuges and other public lands, the Interior Department announced today.
Saturday is Armed Forces Day. The passes are part of the Joining Forces initiative led by first lady Michelle Obama and Jill Biden, wife of Vice President Joe Biden, to support military families .
The pass is available to activated members of the National Guard and Reserves, but not veterans.
The passes can be obtained at any national park or wildlife refuge that charges an entrance fee by showing military identification. Family members can obtain their own pass if the service member is deployed or traveling separately.
The National Park Service estimated the passes, worth $80 each, could cost $2 million to $6 million in lost revenue.
"We collect about $150 million in fees nationwide, so we don't think that this amount of decrease will be significant to the overall operations of the service," Jon Jarvis, director of the National Park Service, stated.
Colorado has four national parks: Rocky Mountain National Park, Mesa Verde, Great Sand Dunes and Black Canyon of the Gunnison.
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