National Public Lands Day: The Battle of Central Arkansas

Volunteers worked together to remove trash from their park for National Public Lands Day 2023.

NPS/N. Allen

To celebrate the 30th annual National Public Lands Day celebrations on September 23, 2023, the Volunteers-in-Parks office would like to highlight an event that took place at Hot Springs National Park: The Battle of Central Arkansas.

National Environmental Education Foundation's National Public Lands Day is the nation's largest single-day volunteer event for public lands. It is held annually on the fourth Saturday in September. National Public Lands Day is also a “Fee-Free Day”—entrance fees are waived at national parks and other public lands. NEEF (the National Environmental Education Foundation) coordinates National Public Lands Day. The event brings together hundreds of thousands of individual and organizational volunteers to help restore the country's public lands.

Park staff, volunteers and a Community Volunteer Ambassador work together to remove debris in Hot Springs National Park.

NPS/K. Barat

Hot Springs National Park had three teams, 34 total volunteers, battle one another to see who could collect the most trash within the park. These were teams made up of friends, family, coworkers, and even strangers! All the volunteers who joined were passionate to make a difference in their park and join a National Public Lands Day (NPLD) celebration. The park provided protective gear and necessary trash collecting equipment. The teams had three hours to collect as much trash and debris as possible in hopes to win the Battle of Central Arkansas. Together, the three competing teams collected over 2,800 lbs. of trash!

This year, the park introduced a twist to their second annual competition. In an effort to expand the influence of NPLD and harness the power of community volunteers, two external host sites joined the competition: Lake Ouachita State Park, of the Arkansas State Park system, and Ouachita National Forest, of the U.S. Forest Service.

After several hours of work, the numbers rolled in from around central Arkansas. Lake Ouachita State Park volunteers gathered over 400 lbs. of trash and Ouachita National Forest stunned the competition, colleting over 12,000 lbs! In total, over 15,000 lbs. of litter was removed from Arkansas public lands as a result of this event, which was organized by NPS staff member, Kendra Barat and Community Volunteer Ambassador, Tatum Monroe.

The Trash Pandas, the winning team from Hot Springs National Park, pose with the 1,300 lbs. of trash they collected from the park.

NPS/K. Barat

To celebrate their efforts, each site went home with a trophy. Ouachita National Forest won the "Trashiest Champion" crown for collecting the most trash from their site on NPLD. Lake Ouachita State Park was awarded the "Cleanest Public Land" title. The winning team from Hot Springs National Park, the Trash Pandas, proudly took home the Hot Springs "Trash Champion" trophy. The Trash Pandas, consisting of off-duty NPS employees, spouses, and friends, ultimately collected over 1,300 lbs. of trash.

Here's what Trash Panda team volunteer, Scott Frost, had to say about his NPLD experience:

“The reason I volunteer is it has always been my belief that you always need to give back. During my 33-year military career I always volunteered, whether Habitat for Humanity, local food drives, etc. It did not matter whether I was here in the U. S. or some other country, it (was) just the right thing to do! (For National Public Lands Day), (w)e had the perfect team! My favorite part of the event is always the camaraderie! It is great to work with likeminded folks striving to achieve the same goal. It's so heartwarming to know that other people have the same goals and passions in assisting the community.”

All the volunteers who participated in the 2023 Battle of Central Arkansas made a positive impact in their community and on public lands. Each volunteer received a fee-free coupon to access any federal public land that charges an entry fee. This pass is a small token of appreciation for the positive impact they had on their public lands!

These NPLD events would not have been possible without the coordination and incredibly hard work of maintenance crews at Hot Springs National Park, Lake Ouachita State Park and Ouachita National Forest. These dedicated employees efficiently and responsibly disposed of all 15,000 lbs. of litter to keep our public lands clean and healthy!

The official logo for the Volunteers-In-Parks program.

Interested in becoming a volunteer?

To begin your volunteer experience in the National Park Service, visit Volunteer with Us to discover volunteer opportunities at national park sites near you.

The official logo for the Community Volunteer Ambassador program

About the Community Volunteer Ambassador Program:

As a fifty-week professional internship, the Community Volunteer Ambassador Program is managed in partnership between the National Park Service Volunteer-In-Parks Program and the Stewards Individual Placement Program of Conservation Legacy. Members are youth (ages 18-30 or 18-35 if veterans) from diverse backgrounds who aspire to future careers in service and conservation stewardship. In 2022, approximately 90 members will be placed in park sites throughout the country to provide capacity-building services focused on connecting communities to parks through engagement and volunteer activities.