News Release

Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park Seeks Volunteers for Annual National Public Lands Day - 2023

Date: September 8, 2023
Contact: Will Wilson, 706-866-96241, ext. 137

Fort Oglethorpe, GA: Join volunteers across the nation on Saturday, September 23, 2023, starting at 8:30 am, taking part in National Public Lands Day - the largest single-day volunteer effort for public lands in the United States.

This year’s project at Chickamauga & Chattanooga National Military Park will focus on removing limbs and debris from in and around the Hunt Cemetery at the Chickamauga Battlefield. The Hunt Cemetery is one of the private family cemeteries located on the battlefield. Helm Hunt was a War of 1812 veteran, and his family's home and farm became the location of a field hospital during the Battle of Chickamauga. Today, he and several family members rest in the family cemetery. Help us honor these individuals by cleaning up the cemetery and increasing its accessibility for visitors to the battlefield.

Participants will meet at the lower parking lot of the Chickamauga Battlefield Visitor Center to sign up and should wear clothes they don't mind getting dirty. For safety reasons and due to the nature of the work, clothing should include long pants, long-sleeved shirt and closed toed boots or shoes, NO open toed shoes. The park will provide all necessary tools and personal protective equipment, but if a participant wants to bring their own set of gloves or protective eyewear, they may do so. The park will also provide water and snacks. For those that participate in NPLD, a fee-free coupon will be given to volunteers to thank them for their efforts and invite them to return and enjoy public lands nationwide with family and friends.

National Public Lands Day (NPLD) began in 1994 and is organized each year by the National Environmental Education Foundation (NEEF). NPLD promotes the connection between people and the environment by inviting everyone to get outside. NPLD brings together hundreds of thousands of individual and organizational volunteers to help restore the country’s public lands. These are the places Americans use for outdoor recreation, education, and just plain enjoyment. These lands encompass national parks, monuments, wildlife refuges, forests, grasslands, marine sanctuaries, lakes, and reservoirs, as well as state, county, and city parks that are managed by public agencies, but that belong to and are enjoyed by all of us.

National Public Lands Day itself is a “Fee-Free Day” as well— entrance fees are waived at national parks and other public lands on Saturday, September 23, 2023. This includes Point Park, on top of Lookout Mountain. For visitors interested in learning more about Civil War history associated with Chattanooga and Lookout Mountain, park rangers will be conducting walking tours inside Point Park at 11 am, 2 pm, and 4 pm. The Lookout Mountain Battlefield Visitor Center will be open from 8:30 am to 5 pm and rangers will be available to answer any questions and provide information about the park and the Battles for Chattanooga. We hope to see you on National Public Lands Day!