Americans will be stepping into some of the country’s beautiful parks, forests and natural habitats to spruce them up on Saturday, Sept., 2015, during National Public Lands Day. If you’re not able to volunteer, the Bureau of Land Management, National Park Service, U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and USDA Forest Service have declared the day as a fee-free day which means free admission.
During the 2014 National Public Lands Day, about 175,000 volunteers worked in all 50 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico in 2,132 public lands. They collected about 23,000 pounds of invasive plants, maintained and built an estimated 1,500 miles of trails, and removed about 500 tons of trash from trails and other places. (Source: National Public Lands Day site, Sept. 12, 2015). With the growing interest in volunteering and voluntourism, the 2015 event should be another success. At publication time, more than 2,180 sites are offering programs.
Volunteer for a Fee-Free Coupon
Those volunteering in one of the five federally managed lands on National Public Lands Day may receive a fee-free coupon as a thank you to be used at a future date up until Saturday, Sept. 24, 2016. The five federal managed land areas are the Bureau of Land Management, National Park Service, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and USDA Forest Service. The fee-free coupon can be used at any participating federal public land so if you volunteer in a national wildlife refuge it can be used toward admission in a national park. Learn more on the National Public Lands Day website.
What’s Your Aha Earth Changing Moment?
Has a walk in the woods taught you something about the environment or maybe a kayaking trip changed your perspective about the environment. If being outdoors inspired or changed your perspective about the environment, share your “aha moment” through an essay, photo, or video through the My Earth Changing Moments campaign. Visit MyEarthChangingMoments.org to learn more and to share your moment.
Visit the National Public Lands Day website to find a project near you.
Federal Lands Fee-Free Days
Oct. 11, the first Sunday of National Wildlife Refuge Week, is a fee-free day for lands under management of the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service.
Nov. 11 – Veterans Day is the final fee-free day in 2015 for Bureau of Land Management, National Park Service, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Bureau of Land Management, National Park Service, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and USDA Forest Service.
If you’ll be participating in National Public Lands Day, be sure to use #NPLD in your social media posts.
National Public Lands Day isn’t the only day we should be kind and mindful of our land and cultural and historical heritage. It should serve as a reminder that we need to be stewards of our environment on a daily basis and be a good friend to our public lands.
Talk to me, will you be stepping into a park on Public Lands Day?
That’s not even 10 miteuns well spent!