GULF BREEZE, Fla. -- Gulf Islands National Seashore and community partners will host a park-wide cleanup on Sept. 24, 2022, in honor of National Public Lands Day.
The event locations and times will vary. Cleanup events will take place in the Fort Pickens Area, Perdido Key Area, Okaloosa Area in Florida, and the Davis Bayou Campground in Mississippi. Volunteers should be prepared to be outside for at least two hours, wear closed-toe shoes, and lift heavy materials.
Volunteers will receive a one-day pass to any national park or public land as a thank you for participation. Additionally, volunteers will have a chance to attend a program provided by a park ranger. Volunteers must sign up and complete the volunteer activity to receive the pass. The pass will be distributed in person at the cleanup location. To sign up to volunteer visit www.volunteer.gov.
“Last year 160 volunteers removed more than 2,500 pounds of trash from the park's beaches and water during National Public Lands Day," said Jennifer Smith, Gulf Islands National Seashore volunteer coordinator. “The park relies heavily on our volunteers to keep our seashore clean, and we are looking forward to having our local community members join us for this year’s event."
In 2021 Gulf Islands National Seashore had 465 volunteers that completed a total of 18,474 hours of service.
National Public Lands Day is the nation's largest single-day volunteer event for public lands. Established in 1994 and held annually on the fourth Saturday in September, this celebration brings out thousands of volunteers to help restore and improve public lands around the country. To learn more about Public Lands visit www.doi.gov/blog/americas-public-lands-explained. www.nps.gov
About Gulf Islands National Seashore: Created in 1971, the national seashore stretches 160 miles along the northern coast of the Gulf of Mexico in Florida and Mississippi, and includes barrier islands, maritime forests, historic forts, bayous, and marine habitat. Visit us at www.nps.gov/guis, on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
About the National Park Service: More than 20,000 National Park Service employees care for America's 419 national parks and work with communities across the nation to help preserve local history and create close-to-home recreational opportunities.
Source: U.S. Department of the Interior, National Park Service
