Transportation Interpreters at Yosemite Park
Student transportation interpreters will spend summer at Yosemite National Park. Park superintendent Mike Tollefson announced that Yosemite National Park received 3 student transportation interpreter interns, thanks to the generous support of Ford Motor Company, a Proud Partner of America´s national parks. The students will spend the summer in the park, orienting visitors to Yosemite´s scenic, historic, and natural features as well as helping visitors with regional travel.
These students are among the 35 who will work in various national parks across the country this summer where they will provide visitors with invaluable information about the many alternative modes of transportation available in national parks. The Proud Partner Transportation Interpreter Program is made possible through a partnership among the National Park Foundation, the National Park Service, the Student Conservation Association, and Ford Motor Company.
As a Proud Partner of America´s national parks, Ford is working closely with the National Park Foundation and the National Park Service to help develop innovative transportation and environmental solutions that enable visitors to enjoy all 388 national parks without compromising their beauty. The Proud Partner Transportation Interpreter Program was developed to encourage use of alternative modes of transportation, such as buses, trains, trams, or ferries, with the ultimate goal of reducing vehicle congestion as well as noise and air pollution in the parks.
“Yosemite is delighted to have Ford´s support as a Proud Partner,” said Tollefson. “National parks are protected and cherished today because of the generosity and support of individual Americans who made a difference in previous generations. These interns are carrying on that fine tradition and, with their support, we will ensure that national parks will continue to be cherished by future generations.”
Each of the interns is a member of the Student Conservation Association, a national nonprofit organization that annually places more than 2,500 high school and college students in hands-on conservation service positions. Ford pays for the students´ stipends, their transportation to and from the park, and their uniforms. The park provides housing, training, and mentoring.
“Ford is committed to supporting alternative transportation systems in national parks,” said Mary Culler of Ford Motor Company. “We think that it is especially important in this, our 100th anniversary year, that the participants in this program spread the word about how alternative transportation systems are helping to enhance the visitor experience without harming the environment.” Ford Motor Company believes that it is important to be a good corporate citizen. A Proud Partner since 2000, Ford works closely with the National Park Foundation and the National Park Service to bring alternative transportation solutions to parks. In addition to supporting the Proud Partner Transportation Interpreter Program, Ford supports national park transportation studies, restored the historic fleet of red touring buses in Glacier National Park, and donated 500 TH!NK neighbor electric vehicles to parks in California.
The National Park Foundation is the congressionally chartered nonprofit partner of America´s national parks. Created by Congress in 1967, the National Park Foundation strengthens the enduring connection between the American people and their national parks by raising private funds, making strategic grants, creating innovative partnerships, and increasing public awareness. For more information, visit www.nationalparks.org.
The Student Conservation Association is America´s largest and oldest provider of national and community conservation service opportunities, outdoor education and career training for youth. SCA volunteers and interns annually perform more than one million hours of conservation service in national parks, forests, refuges, and urban areas in all 50 states. For more information, visit www.thesca.org.
