National Public Lands Day
National Public Lands Day began in 1994 with four federal agencies, including the Bureau of Land Management, the USDA Forest Service, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the National Park Service, involving over 700 volunteers. Now, along with the founding agencies, the Bureau of Reclamation, Department of Defense, National Invasive Species Council, Environmental Protection Agency, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and many state and local land management agencies participate in this annual day of caring for shared lands.
National Public Lands Day provides a unique opportunity to promote environmental education and an opportunity to engage volunteers on projects directly benefiting public lands. National Public Lands Day also serves as a special time for our country to recognize the accomplishments of the Civilian Conservation Corps, the hard-working men who built more than 800 of America's national and State parks during the 1930s and 1940s. The National Environmental Education Foundation serves as the coordinator for National Public Lands Day and the national sponsor of NPLD is Toyota Motor Sales USA, Inc.
Thousands of volunteers in every state will put their hands to work on September 24, 2011 in a coast-to-coast effort to improve and enhance our treasured lands. From Sidney Lanier to Lake Sonoma, Black Butte Lake to the Cape Cod Canal—volunteers will join this national day of caring for their lands. Last year, 170,000 volunteers worked at over 2,080 sites in every state, the District of Columbia and in many U.S. territories.
NPLD volunteers:
- Removed an estimated 450 tons of trash
- Collected an estimated 20,000 pounds of invasive plants
- Built and maintained an estimated 1,320 miles of trails
- Planted an estimated 100,000 trees, shrubs and other native plants
- Contributed an estimated $15 million to improve public lands across the country
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