2018 Public Lands Day at Upper Delaware Scenic & Recreational River/NPS.

On September 28, volunteers and outdoor lovers will spread out across the United States to celebrate National Public Lands Day in the places they love best.

Celebrated every year since 1994, National Public Lands Day holds the honor of inspiring the most American volunteers for a single-day effort. According to the National Park Service, the day “celebrates the connection between people and green space in their community, inspires environmental stewardship, and encourages use of open space for education, recreation, and general health.”

But what is defined as public land?

Not just national parks! Organized by the National Environmental Education Foundation, events are held in conjunction with the Department of Interior, the Department of the Army, the US Fish and Wildlife Service, the Bureau of Land Management, the Bureau of Reclamation, the US Forest Service, the US Army Corps of Engineers, and the Department of Agriculture, in addition to the National Park Service.

Volunteer events include a wide variety of projects, depending on the park or area open to the public. For example:

• George Washington Carver National Monument is hosting a volunteer-led effort to plant trees, plant native plants in flowerbeds, trim back overhanging vines and limbs on the trail, clean historic structures, sweep bridges and porches, pull weeds, trim vegetation, and apply mulch to landscaped beds at the park. The event will be held Saturday, September 28th from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m

• Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park will conduct Civilian Conservation Corps programs at Point Park, on Lookout Mountain. Living historians, portraying members of the CCC, will have displays set up in Point Park, and will conduct short presentations, each lasting approximately 30 minutes.

• Upper Delaware Scenic and Recreational River will be hosting a park-wide volunteer event focused on maintaining Upper Delaware’s treasured historic and natural resources. This year, volunteers are needed to assist rangers in cleaning up the Lackawaxen Access and the historic Zane Grey property in Lackawaxen, PA. Volunteers will learn to identify many non-native invasive plant species and assist rangers by removing them, which in turn will help restore native plant populations. The event will conclude with refreshments, a milkweed scatter, and butterfly release. 

• Indiana Dunes National Park is hosting a park clean-up at West Beach. Park staff, Mermaid Straw, REI, and volunteers will come together for a day of stewardship focused on reducing single-use plastic waste. This event is an extension of Trash Trekkers, a drop-in trash collection program in the park.

Can’t make it to a volunteer event? No problem. Appreciation is a big component of National Public Lands Day, which is why all parks will be open for free! The National Park Service is calling on visitors to share their experience on social media with the hashtages #NPSVolunteer, #FindYourPark, and #NPLD.