WASHINGTON - On Sept. 24, be a part of the nation's largest, single-day volunteer effort for public lands. Throughout the country, about 200,000 people will participate in 2,500 National Public Lands Day events. As part of the celebration, national parks will waive entrance fees and host projects and programs that promote environmental stewardship.
"Whether a neighborhood park or a national park, public lands belong to all of us," said National Park Service Director Jonathan B. Jarvis. "They might vary in shape and size but they all exist for all of us. Join us on National Public Lands Day and help ensure that these special places can continue to be used for recreation and inspiration."
All 413 National Park Service sites will have free entrance on National Public Lands Day. Those who volunteer for a service project will receive a voucher that permits them into a national park for free on a different day.
Dozens of National Park Service sites will host events. Take part in spring cleaning in Yosemite National Park, repair a horse trail in Catoctin Mountain Park, preserve earthworks at Richmond National Battlefield Park, or restore the tall grass prairie at Pipestone National Monument.
Following are some of the National Park Service sites hosting National Public Lands Day events:
Arizona
* Tumacácori National Historical Park
California
* Pinnacles National Park
* Point Reyes National Seashore
* Yosemite National Park
Georgia
* Fort Pulaski National Monument
Guam
* War in the Pacific National Historical Park
Iowa
* Herbert Hoover National Historic Site
Kentucky
* Mammoth Cave National Park
Maryland
* Assateague Island National Seashore
* Catoctin Mountain Park
* Fort Washington Park
* Greenbelt Park
* Monocacy National Battlefield
Maine
* Acadia National Park
Minnesota
* Mississippi National River &Recreation Area
* Pipestone National Monument
Missouri
* George Washington Carver National Monument
Nevada
* Great Basin National Park
* Lake Mead National Recreation Area
Ohio
* Cuyahoga Valley National Park
* Dayton Aviation National Historical Park
Pennsylvania
* Upper Delaware Scenic &Recreational River
* Valley Forge National Historical Park
South Carolina
* Cowpens National Battlefield
* Kings Mountain National Military Park
* Ninety Six National Historic Site
South Dakota
* Jewel Cave National Monument
Tennessee
* Big South Fork National River and Recreation Area
* Chickamauga &Chattanooga National Military Park
* Stones River National Battlefield
Virginia
* Prince William Forest Park
* Richmond National Battlefield Park
* Shenandoah National Park
Vermont
* Marsh-Billings-Rockefeller National Historical Park
Washington
* Olympic National Park
National Public Lands Day is sponsored by the National Environmental Education and Training Foundation. Visit www.publiclandsday.org for more information and a list of project sites.
www.nps.gov
About the National Park Service. More than 20,000 National Park Service employees care for America's 413 national parks and work with communities across the nation to help preserve local history and create close-to-home recreational opportunities. Visit us at www.nps.gov, on Facebook www.facebook.com/nationalparkservice, Twitter www.twitter.com/natlparkservice, and YouTube www.youtube.com/nationalparkservice.
Source: U.S. Department of the Interior, National Park Service
