BURBANK, Wash. – Do you enjoy outdoor recreation activities on public lands? Would you like to help keep them safe, clean and beautiful?
If you answered ”Yes” to both questions, then join forces with five federal agencies at the Hood Park Nature Area, located in Burbank, Wash., at the intersection of U.S. Highway 12 and state Highway 124, as they honor National Public Lands Day on Saturday, Sept. 24. Registration is at 9 a.m. and certificate presentation at 2 p.m.
Public Lands Day is the nation’s largest, single-day volunteer event to benefit public lands. Officially the last Saturday of September, organizers anticipate more than 100,000 Americans of all ages will participate nationwide, volunteering their time and effort to help restore the beauty and vitality of our public lands.
Volunteers can join staff members from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, U.S. Forest Service, National Park Service and Bureau of Reclamation to help make visitor improvements in the Hood Park Nature Area.
Projects planned for Sept. 24 include building a trail from the campground to the nature area, plus a litter patrol. Volunteers will also help to construct and install five sun shelters, ten park benches and several planter boxes that will be filled with native vegetation.
Volunteers should provide their own gloves, rakes, wheelbarrows, hammers, shovels and closed-toe shoes. Snacks, water and restrooms facilities will be provided.
In addition to achieving a feeling of accomplishment and the satisfaction of giving back to your community, each volunteer will receive a coupon entitling them to one free (no-fee) day on participating public lands.
For more information about this National Public Lands Day event, call Corps of Engineers Natural Resource Specialist Joyce McDonald at 509-543-6066, or visit the Ice Harbor Lock and Dam Facebook page.
Whether you join a formal public lands event or just grab a trash bag to help pick up litter as you walk the trails in a nature area or park, your efforts help preserve the beauty of public lands for everyone to enjoy. Anyone who enjoys fun in the great outdoors is encouraged to lend a helping hand to America’s lands.
One of every three acres of land in the United States—nearly 600 million acres—belongs to the American public. National Public Lands Day began in 1994 with three federal agencies and 700 volunteers. Last year, 150,000 volunteers worked in more than 2,000 locations across the nation. Now, eight federal agencies and many state and local lands participate in this annual day of caring for shared lands. For more information about National Public Lands Day, visit their website at www.publiclandsday.org .
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