Event Overview

Nationwide Cleanup Events 2009

Volunteers at the 16th annual National Public Lands Day will contribute to a healthy water cycle as they improve America’s favorite outdoor places

National Public Lands Day - Sept 26, 2009

Over 130,000 environmental volunteers will clean up waterways, reduce run-off by planting native vegetation and learn about the importance of water on our public lands.

National Public Lands Day (NPLD) is the nation’s largest hands-on eco volunteer effort to improve and enhance the public lands Americans enjoy. In 2008, 120,000 volunteers built trails and bridges, removed trash and invasive plants planted over 1.6 million trees.

National Public Lands Day began in 1994 with three federal agencies and 700 volunteers. Last year 120,000 environmental volunteers worked in over 1,800 locations and in every state. Now, 8 federal agencies and many state and local lands participate in this annual day of caring for shared lands.

From Yosemite National Park, Calif. to Allegany State Park, N.Y., projects are being planned at sites in every state on and around September 26, 2009. NPLD’s national theme this year is water – and how it connects to our public lands (which in many places form the watershed for large numbers of people). Community action Volunteers at sites throughout the country will take part in activities along beaches, ponds, lakes and streams. National Public Lands Day participants will test water quality and plant native vegetation, improve the habitat for wildlife and prevent soil erosion. Eco Volunteers, through their work and commitment, will lean about the important role water plays in the ecosystems of our public lands, and in the lives of all the people who live nearby.

Planting vegetation and trees near bodies of water can help improve water quality in many ways. Trees remove pollutants and carbon dioxide from the air. When trees and shrubs are planted as a “buffer zone” along the edges of rivers and streams, they are effective in reducing the amount of polluting runoff that would otherwise end up in those bodies of water. Runoff, or storm water, is caused when rain water collects oil, chemicals, pet waste, and other pollutants before moving into water systems. Just one tree can reduce 4,000 gallons of runoff annually. NPLD programs throughout the country will focus on planting native trees and other vegetation to improve water quality and add to the natural environment of these well-used public lands.

As in 2008, Aquafina will be supporting a number of local NPLD events this year with an ample supply of Aquafina water beverages to hydrate volunteers as they work to clean, restore and preserve public lands throughout America. Aquafina will also be providing recycling bags to these events to insure that the Aquafina water consumed by volunteers is disposed of properly in the recycling waste stream.

 

Participating events include the following:

1. The Trash Bash at Rough River State Park in Falls of Rough, Kentucky
2. Greynolds Park Clean-up in North Miami Beach, Florida
3. Bacon Park Forest restoration, hosted by the Savannah Tree Foundation in Savannah-Chatham County, Georgia
4. Hillsborough River State Park clean-up and restoration in Thonotosassa, Florida
5. Fall Clean-up for the High Lakes in Lassen National Park, California
6. Bledsoe Creek State Park stream clean-up in Gallatin, Tennessee
7. The Great Arkansas River Clean-Up in Russellville, Arkansas
8. Carderock Recreational Area clean-up nearby Washington, D.C.
9. San Joaquin River Clean-up near Fresno, CA
10. Schabarum Regional Park clean-up in Rowland Hills, CA
11. Crab Orchard National Wildlife Refuge clean-up in Marion, IL
12. Kenilworth Aquatic Gardens restoration and clean-up in Washington, D.C.
    
    For more information on the 2009 National Public Lands Day and the multitude of events where volunteers are needed, go to http://www.publiclandsday.org