Washington, D.C. – The National Park Foundation has selected Saguaro National Park to receive one of its 34 “America’s Best Idea” grants given this year to nominated parks across the country. The $14,995 grant will benefit the Cactus Ranger youth program at the park by supporting targeted recruitment efforts and providing more transportation options to students.

Cactus Rangers are volunteers aged 10-18 who participate in monthly service learning projects each year.

“Making our public lands more accessible, more interactive and more educational is a great service,” Rep. Raúl M. Grijalva said of the announcement. “This grant will help make Saguaro National Park a bigger part of young peoples’ lives and help them appreciate the importance of protecting our heritage. Congratulations to the hard-working and very deserving rangers who make the park experience so memorable, and congratulations to all the Cactus Rangers who will benefit from this grant.”

“One of the great things about our national parks is that every American can relate to these treasured places if given the chance to experience them,” said Jonathan B. Jarvis, Director of the National Park Service. “It’s our mission to engage visitors from all backgrounds in the diverse stories that we tell in our national parks. Thanks to the support of the National Park Foundation, we can propel that outreach, and engage new audiences that would otherwise never have the opportunity to experience a national park.”

For a full listing of participating parks and program descriptions, please visit http://www.nationalparks.org/our-work/programs/americas-best-idea.