National Public Lands Day set for September 26

130,000 Americans will grab shovels, pruning sheers and gloves to help improve the nation’s public lands on September 26, 2009 as part of National Public Lands Day, an annual event held at over 2,000 sites across the country.

National Public Lands Day is the nation’s largest one-day volunteer effort for public lands. The September 26, 2009 event will focus on water quality.

“Wherever Americans go outdoors to explore, hike, fish, paddle, jog or just enjoy nature, that location is likely to be a candidate for a National Public Lands Day event,” said Robb Hampton, director of National Public Lands Day, a program of the National Environmental Education Foundation. “For 2009, we will have a special focus on the connection water has on our public lands.”

Toyota Motor Sales, U.S.A., Inc., the primary sponsor for National Public Lands Day (NPLD), is supporting the program for the 11th consecutive year.

The one-day army of volunteers has an immediate positive impact on public lands. Last year, over 120,000 volunteers planted an estimated 1.6 million trees, fixed hundreds of miles of hiking trails and removed trash at nearly 1,900 sites. Volunteer efforts totaled an estimated $13 million worth of time and in-kind contributions. This year, the number of sites is expected to grow to more than 2,000 with expected contributions over $14 million.

With the focus on water this year, volunteers will be able to participate in activities such as shoreline beautification, wildlife habitat restoration, testing water quality in our streams and rivers, and maintaining visitor facilities in parks and wildlife refuges.

The nation’s public lands benefit from a great variety of volunteer projects each year. This year organizers are expecting a record number of volunteers participating at events all over the nation.

Nonprofit organizations, community groups and land management agencies at the local, county, state and federal levels are among the participants in these activities and events.

“The growth of the program and its impact in beautifying and preserving public lands has been tremendous,” Hampton states. “We’re predicting 2009 will be the biggest National Public Lands Day yet.”

Get out to enjoy this nationwide volunteer event! Community members can find an NPLD site in their area or register a location of their own through the National Public Lands Day zip code locator located at www.publiclandsday.org.

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