Yakima Valley & Mount Rainier National Park
Discover Washington: Youth Heritage Project 2012 was based in the Yakima Valley and Mount Rainier National Park. The 2012 event brought together almost 30 students and six teachers with topics focusing on Latino history and culture. Participants visited sites of historical and cultural significance in the Yakima Valley and explored opportunities for making Mount Rainier National Park more accessible to all cultures. Special focus was given to heritage tourism and preservation related issues. The program culminated in a town hall where the students presented their findings and recommendations to a panel of invited guests with a vested interest in improving heritage representation and cultural understanding. The Washington Trust partnered with consultants from Colorado, the National Park Foundation’s American Latino Heritage Fund, the National Park Service, and the Washington State Department of Archeology and Historic Preservation to produce this first-ever hands-on preservation youth program in Washington State.