News Release

Lend a Hand to the Land

There are many volunteer opportunities across the country for people of all ages to help take care of our public lands.

NPS Photo

News Release Date: September 16, 2016

Contact: Kathy Kupper, 202-208-6843

Celebrate National Public Lands Day on September 24 with Free Admission and Special Events

WASHINGTON – On September 24, be a part of the nation's largest, single-day volunteer effort for public lands. Throughout the country, about 200,000 people will participate in 2,500 National Public Lands Day events. As part of the celebration, national parks will waive entrance fees and host projects and programs that promote environmental stewardship.

"Whether a neighborhood park or a national park, public lands belong to all of us," said National Park Service Director Jonathan B. Jarvis. "They might vary in shape and size but they all exist for all of us. Join us on National Public Lands Day and help ensure that these special places can continue to be used for recreation and inspiration."

All 413 National Park Service sites will have free entrance on National Public Lands Day. Those who volunteer for a service project will receive a voucher that permits them into a national park for free on a different day.

Dozens of National Park Service sites will host events. Take part in spring cleaning in Yosemite National Park, repair a horse trail in Catoctin Mountain Park, preserve earthworks at Richmond National Battlefield Park, or restore the tall grass prairie at Pipestone National Monument.

Following are some of the National Park Service sites hosting National Public Lands Day events:

Arizona

• Tumacácori National Historical Park

California

• Pinnacles National Park
• Point Reyes National Seashore
• Yosemite National Park

Georgia

• Fort Pulaski National Monument

Guam

• War in the Pacific National Historical Park

Iowa

• Herbert Hoover National Historic Site

Kentucky

• Mammoth Cave National Park

Maryland

• Assateague Island National Seashore
• Catoctin Mountain Park
• Fort Washington Park
• Greenbelt Park
• Monocacy National Battlefield

Maine

• Acadia National Park

Minnesota

• Mississippi National River &Recreation Area
• Pipestone National Monument

Missouri

• George Washington Carver National Monument

Nevada

• Great Basin National Park
• Lake Mead National Recreation Area

Ohio

• Cuyahoga Valley National Park
• Dayton Aviation National Historical Park

Pennsylvania

• Upper Delaware Scenic &Recreational River
• Valley Forge National Historical Park

South Carolina

• Cowpens National Battlefield
• Kings Mountain National Military Park
• Ninety Six National Historic Site

South Dakota

• Jewel Cave National Monument

Tennessee

• Big South Fork National River and Recreation Area
• Chickamauga &Chattanooga National Military Park
• Stones River National Battlefield

Virginia

• Prince William Forest Park
• Richmond National Battlefield Park
• Shenandoah National Park

Vermont

• Marsh-Billings-Rockefeller National Historical Park

Washington

• Olympic National Park

National Public Lands Day is sponsored by the National Environmental Education and Training Foundation. Visit www.publiclandsday.org for more information and a list of project sites.

www.nps.gov

About the National Park Service. More than 20,000 National Park Service employees care for America's 413 national parks and work with communities across the nation to help preserve local history and create close-to-home recreational opportunities. Visit us at www.nps.gov, on Facebook www.facebook.com/nationalparkservice, Twitter www.twitter.com/natlparkservice, and YouTube www.youtube.com/nationalparkservice.