Yosemite National Park to Waive Entrance Fee in Celebration of National Public Lands Day

Date: September 26, 2007

All National Park Service sites, including Yosemite National Park, will offer free visitor admission on September 29, 2007 for National Public Lands Day.

In addition to waiving entrance fees for all park visitors on September 29, 2007, Yosemite National Park is hosting its annual cleanup, the Yosemite Facelift, in conjunction with National Public Lands Day this year. The Yosemite Facelift, which is organized by the Yosemite Climbing Association and the National Park Service, will take place from September 26, 2007 through September 30, 2007. Cleanup volunteers to the park during the event. Those volunteering on National Public Lands Day will also receive a free pass valid for future use at any National Park Service site. Also, volunteers working with the Yosemite Fund, Yosemite's largest fundraising partner, will be on-hand at park entrance stations to accept donations. The Yosemite Fund is a private, non-profit organization dedicated to raising money for park projects.

"America's public lands showcase the country's spectacular beauty and fascinating history," said National Park Service Director Mary A. Bomar. "I encourage everyone to take advantage of this fee free day to explore a national park or lend a hand to help the land."

Nine federal agencies, 125 state and local partners, dozens of non-profit organizations, tens of thousands of individuals, and national sponsor Toyota Motor Sales, USA are expected to participate in more than a thousand volunteer projects across the country. Please visit http://www.publiclandsday.org/ for more information.

One third of the land in the United States has been set aside as open space. 600 million acres of parks, refuges, forests, wetlands, cultural sites, and other shared areas provide a variety of public resources.

National Public Lands Day is the only time that entrance fees are waived systematically on public lands throughout the country. Normally, 147 of the country's 391 National Park Service sites charge entrance fees ranging from $3 to $25. The other 244 areas do not have entrance fees. U.S. Veterans are admitted to national parks for free each year on Veteran's Day.

The other federal agencies not charging for admittance that day include the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the Bureau of Land Management, the Bureau of Reclamation, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, and the U.S. Forest Service.