SONORA, Calif. - On Saturday, Sept. 24, 2016, the Bureau of Reclamation’s Central California Area Office will celebrate the 23rd anniversary of National Public
Lands Day (NPLD) at New Melones Lake, located northwest of Sonora, California.
Day use fees will be waived, and New Melones staff will host a recreation area clean-up at the New Melones Lake Dam Overlook from 9 a.m. to noon. Use of
this beautiful area has diminished over time, and the area is in need of maintenance. After NPLD, New Melones looks forward to holding interpretive events
at the New Melones Lake Dam Overlook.
To volunteer and register, please contact Park Ranger Grant Harrison at 209-536-9094, ext. 214 (TTY 800-877-8339) or jgharrison@usbr.gov. On-site registration and check-in will begin at 8 a.m. at the Overlook gate on Old Melones
Road, which can be reached by taking Obyrnes Ferry Road from Hwy 108. Volunteers should dress in appropriate attire for the weather and bring a snack,
water and work gloves.
NPLD is the nation’s largest single-day volunteer event for public lands. Begun in 1994 with three sites and 700 volunteers, it is typically held on the
last Saturday in September. For additional information, please visit the NPLD website at http://www.publiclandsday.org/.
Reclamation is focusing on the connections between outdoor recreation and health. With the growing concern about childhood obesity and children's lack of
time spent enjoying nature, NPLD is a perfect opportunity for families to get outdoors and experience what our public lands have to offer. As part of this
effort, Reclamation continues to support the Department of the Interior's Let's Move Outside! initiative. To learn more about this initiative,
please visit www.letsmove.gov/lets-move-outside.
Please visit http://www.usbr.gov/mp/ccao/newmelones/index.html for additional information
on New Melones.
Source: Bureau of Reclamation
