POINT REYES, Calif.—All across the United States, people are going outdoors for National Public Lands Day.
This year, Point Reyes National Seashore in Northern California’s Marin County celebrated the holiday by inviting volunteers to clean up a popular hiking trail.
“Public lands are important to the country in many ways—from recreation, to health, to finding solitude, and educational places,” said Doug Hee, Point Reyes National Seashore park volunteer manager.
About 10 volunteers participated in cleaning the Palomarin hiking trail—wearing gloves, carrying plastic bags, and using pickers in places that are hard to reach.
They found plastic water bottles, a foam football, a soccer ball, and clothing.
“Everyone was very enthusiastic to go out and pick up that trash. They were finding things in brush that even I didn’t see,” said Hee.
Hee says community involvement is vital to protecting our lands and encourages people to look for volunteer opportunities to give back to the community.
National Public Lands Day celebrates people connecting with nature on public lands, which include national parks, forests, wildlife refuges, and monuments. On this day, people can also visit national parks for free.
It has been held on the fourth Saturday of September since 1994 and is also the nation’s largest one-day volunteer effort, bringing together hundreds of thousands of people to help restore the country’s public lands.
Participating federal agencies include the Department of Defense, the Environmental Protection Agency, and National Park Service.
According to the National Wildlife Federation, Americans share about 600 million acres of land and water in the United States. Besides the aforementioned federal designations, public lands also include state and local areas owned by the public.
The National Park Service also hosts an annual National Park Week and National Junior Ranger Day in April.
