News Release
A youth group celebrating after completing a service project at Catoctin Mountain Park.
News Release Date: September 29, 2017
Contact: Kathy Kupper, 202-208-6843
National parks throughout the country will celebrate National Public Lands Day on Saturday, September 30. All national parks will waive entrance fees and many will sponsor volunteer work events.
“From local playgrounds to national parks, public lands provide places to learn, play, exercise, and relax,” said Acting National Park Service Director Michael T. Reynolds. “Everyone is invited to come together on National Public Lands Day to nurture and enjoy these important places.”
National Public Lands Day is the country’s largest one-day commemoration of shared spaces. There is something for everyone. Visit a national park for free. Attend a special event. Or lend a hand to improve the land.
More than 200,000 people are expected to participate in volunteer events at more than 2,600 sites throughout the country. In national parks, volunteers will construct fences, build trails, restore native habitats, and refurbish historic buildings, among other projects. Volunteers on National Public Lands Day who participate in a service project will receive vouchers for free entrance to a national park for future use.
Following are just a few examples of work projects taking place in national parks on Saturday. Visit NPS.gov for more information.
Pick up litter and scrape gum off historic buildings as part of “Operation: Gum Drop Removal” in Cabrillo National Monument in California.
Pull invasive species and replace them with native plants at Hamilton Grange National Memorial in New York – the home of Alexander Hamilton.
Help preserve the ‘aina (land) in Hawai’i Volcanoes National Park in Hawaii by cutting invasive Himalayan ginger along park trails.
Spruce up the Malus Beauregard house and the Chalmette boat landing in Jean Lafitte National Historical Park & Preserve in Louisiana
Choose from five different work projects (trail maintenance, fence construction, milkweed seed collection, invasive plant control, and litter clean-up) at Manassas National Battlefield Park in Virginia.
Collect seeds from the native tallgrass prairie that will be used to restore other prairies in Pipestone National Monument in Minnesota.
Plant native trees and shrubs, landscape, weed, mulch, build rainwater harvesting basins, remove invasive buffelgrass, and establish a nature trail for the new environmental education center at Saguaro National Park in Arizona.
About the National Park Service. More than 20,000 National Park Service employees care for America’s 417 national parks and work with communities across the nation to help preserve local history and create close-to-home recreational opportunities. Visit us at http://www.nps.gov, on Facebook www.facebook.com/nationalparkservice, Twitter www.twitter.com/natlparkservice, and YouTube www.youtube.com/nationalparkservice.
Last updated: September 29, 2017