News Release

Celebrate National Public Lands Day on the Patchogue River

Volunteers are invited to join the second annual Patchogue River Cleanup to celebrate National Public Lands Day.

NPS Photo

News Release Date: September 27, 2017

Contact: Kaetlyn Jackson

Contact: Elizabeth Rogers, 631-687-4766

Patchogue, NY - On Saturday, September 30, nearly 100 volunteers will participate in the second annual Patchogue River Cleanup, joining hundreds of thousands of fellow volunteers at public lands across the country to celebrate National Public Lands Day (NPLD).  

"All are welcome to join this community cleanup and help celebrate the day by the river,” said Fire Island National Seashore Park Planner and cleanup organizer Kaetlyn Jackson. Volunteers are invited to join the Patchogue River Cleanup on Saturday, September 30 at 10:00 AM at Fire Island National Seashore's Patchogue-Watch Hill Ferry Terminal. The National Park Service and partners will provide safety and cleanup supplies, and match volunteers with cleanup site leaders.  

Local partners including the Village of Patchogue, Greater Patchogue Chamber of Commerce, Patchogue Theater, St. Joseph’s College, GreaterPatchogue.com, Cornell Cooperative Extension, and more have provided cleanup supplies for the event and raffles for the post-cleanup celebration at Blue Point Brewery.

From neighborhood parks to the nation’s awe-inspiring national parks, public lands belong to everyone. “By keeping the Patchogue River and surrounding areas free of debris, we can help  keep the river healthy and safe for everyone to enjoy,” said Jackson.

NPLD is a unique opportunity to celebrate and give back to the places that are so important to our history, our health, and our enjoyment of the outdoors. On Saturday, volunteers from coast to coast will work to maintain and build trails, remove invasive species, pick up trash, plant trees and plants, and more, to ensure our public lands continue to be beautiful places for all to enjoy.

This year is the 24th annual National Environmental Education Foundation (NEEF)’s NPLD  – the country’s largest, single-day volunteer effort for public lands. Everyone is encouraged to follow and participate in the environmental stewardship conversation on social media using the hashtags #NPLD and #WhyICare.