For more than a month fourth graders at Cody's Eastside Elementary School wrote essays and competed to report on the 63 national parks across the U.S.

The 9- and 10-year-olds then made presentations to share with visitors and students during a Thursday celebration honoring the national parks, which started here in Wyoming when Yellowstone National Park was conserved by a stroke of a pen by President Ulysses S. Grant, when he signed the Yellowstone National Park Protection Act into law on March 1, 1872.

This made Yellowstone the world's first national park. Yet, the 52 students at Eastside were equally interested in reporting on parks they would love to visit.

The children picked four national parks they most wanted to research, but by the time Maddie O'Rourke was able to choose a park, all of her favorites were already called for. She had wanted the Gates to the Arches and Glass Bay, but couldn't remember her other pick. However, she was thrilled to receive the Virgin Islands National Park, which is known for its stunning white beaches and plantation history. O'Rourke also looked into the plants and wildlife at the park.

"I found out that the Virgin Islands has a plant called a hibiscus. It has a delicious fragrance," she said. "They also have seas turtles. They're gentle in clear water and you can pet the turtles. There are actually lizards running around, which is very odd. And they have tiger sharks," she said.

She looks forward to visiting the park, but that's on her parents — not the school. Fortunately, if they go this year they won't have to pay for the entrance fee. All of the kids involved in the project will receive free NPS annual passes for them and their families.

Stetson Bullock drew Mammoth Cave National Park, in Kentucky. The most interesting fact for Bullock is the size of the cave passages.

"It's more than 400 miles," he said, wearing a U.S. Forest Service hat his mother Holly made for him.

Interestingly, there were also sharks found in the cave. Two species of sharks, Troglocladodus trimblei and Glikmanius careforum, were identified by fossils collected from Mammoth Cave in Kentucky and northern Alabama.

"They loved researching, but also hearing about all of the other parks was a very encouraging way to get them writing about informational text," said fourth grade teacher Claire Wetzel.

At the end of the program, the students will be able to reach out to park rangers for questions before receiving their park pass.

It's not just school children who love parks and public land in the Rocky Mountain region. A solid majority of Westerners approve of the federal agencies dealing with public lands, according to the 2025 State of the Rockies poll by Colorado College.

At least three-in-five Western voters approve of every federal agency tested in this year’s survey. The National Park Service receives the highest approval rating, as it did in previous years, with more than 86% saying they approve of the Park Service and the job they are doing. Voters also reported strong marks for the Forest Service, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and Bureau of Land Management. The latter saw the greatest increase in approval, improving six points, as 62% approve of the management of BLM land — the largest land management agency in Wyoming.

In the Cowboy State, 76% of those polled prefer decisions about public lands, water, and wildlife be made by career professionals such as rangers, scientists and firefighters rather than new appointed officials who come from other industries, the college reported. A majority of those polled also prefer that leaders place more emphasis on protecting water, air, wildlife habitat, and recreation opportunities over maximizing the amount of land available for drilling and mining.

At the same time the children were celebrating their park news in the classroom, the Park County Travel Council said Yellowstone and the East Gate will have a great year.

"We have never had more attractions. We've never been better staffed. We've never been more prepared for travelers ... especially post Covid. So you know, we're open and ready for business more than ever," said Ryan Hauck, executive director for the Park County Travel Council.

The one issue that worries Hauck is negative press about firings of public lands federal employees in Wyoming.

"The negative national coverage is what has affected our area, because they make it seem like the whole Greater Yellowstone area is kind of a disaster zone," he said. "How do you combat the national media coverage? How do you let the world know that we are open and ready for business? The Yellowstone experience is still there, and better as ever. The gateways are still staffed with more attractions, more restaurants, more retail than ever."

Fourth graders don't worry about political issues. They simply feel like the availability of public lands experience is important to them and their families, said teacher Audra Wood.

"Those topics usually don't come up [with students]," she said. "Unless they have a family member that has been laid off."