Natural disasters, extreme weather, invasive species and human activities take their toll on our public lands. Now you can volunteer to protect native places and the health and wellbeing of the people and wildlife who depend on them.
In celebration of National Public Lands Day on September 29, volunteers around the country will be cleaning up wild places and working to preserve natural resources.
To find a volunteer effort near you, search the National Public Lands Day interactive map.
Here are a few events:
Kansas City WildLands volunteers will help remove invasive woody plants, including exotic shrub honeysuckle that threatens the health of these native areas. Volunteers can sign up to work from 9 a.m. – noon on Saturday, September 29 at either Rocky Point Glades or Blue River Glades. Both groups will start at Lake Lodge, Swope Park, 7310 Oakwood Road, Kansas City, MO. All volunteers will receive a free pizza lunch and REI prizes. For more information, contact Linda Lehrbaum at [email protected] or 816-561-1089.
Smithville Lake Clean Up Day will be held from 10 a.m. – 2 p.m. on Saturday, September 22. Volunteers will meet at Sailboat Cove, 4404 Paradise Road, Smithville Lake, Smithville, MO
for a half-day clean-up and free picnic lunch. To register, email Kathleen FitzGerald at [email protected] or call 816-407-3653.
Great Mississippi River Clean Up volunteers are needed to help pick up trash along the banks of the Mississippi from 9 a.m. – noon. Volunteers will meet at 11 N. 4th St., St. Louis, MO and receive free t-shirts and snacks. Register at National Park Service or call Erin Hilligos-Volkmann at 314-655-1615.
Build your Refuge Day volunteers will create a representation of the old El Camino Real trail so future visitors get a feel of what the old route may have been like, even though it will be paved and have interpretation periodically. Volunteers will lay crusher fine, level it and tamp it from 10 a.m. – 2 p.m. on Saturday, September 29 at the Valle de Oro National Wildlife Refuge, 7851 2nd St. SW Albuquerque, NM. To register, contact Antonio Valdes-Dapena at [email protected] or 505 401 0789.
Graffiti Paint-out Party at the Old Zoo volunteers will paint out graffiti and pick up trash in the picnic area and along trails from 9 – 11 a.m. on Saturday, September 22 at Griffith Park Old Zoo,
Griffith Park 4750 Crystal Springs Dr., Los Angeles, CA. To register, contact Marian Dodge at [email protected] or 323-521-9399.
Photo: Kansas City WildLands