Pulling Together With the NPS Invasive Plant Management Teams
In August, volunteers uprooted 8 bags of beefsteak (Pirella frustescens) from Rock Creek Park’s Normanstone mini-oasis. Photo courtesy of Rock Creek Conservancy.
Since 1995, the National Park Service and other organizations celebrate National Public Lands Day on September 25. It’s a Fee Free Day in national parks, and people can help restore and improve public lands. There are many opportunities to volunteer throughout the country. This year, the NPS Invasive Plant Management Teams (IPMTs) will work with parks and partners to connect people to their public lands. The IPMTs partner with the Garden Club of America to sponsor WeedWrangle® events. Other partners, such as the Rock Creek Conservancy, also participate.
At these weed-pull events, we’ll also celebrate the 20th anniversary of the IPMT program. In-person events to recognize the two decades of work of the IPMTs were cancelled in 2021. And 2022 marks the 200th anniversary of Frederick Law Olmsted’s birthday. Olmsted was a social reformer and the founder of landscape architecture. He designed Central Park in New York City. Learn more at Olmsted 200.
Interested in getting involved on Public Lands Day? Find an event near you:
