National Public Lands Day
National Public Lands Day - Add or find a site near you!
From green spaces and school yards in local neighborhoods to majestic locations across the nation, public lands provide Americans of all ages an opportunity for recreation and restoration.
Public lands make up 30 percent of the nation's land area and help our environment. Whether in pristine forests or even in patches of green among buildings, sidewalks and streets, trees and plants help clean the air we breathe. A single mature tree can absorb up to 48 pounds of carbon dioxide. Urban forests can remove up to 878,000 pounds of pollutants from the air annually.
Just as Arbor Day is the perfect time to plant trees and plants in neighborhoods and communities, National Public Lands Day (NPLD) offers Americans an opportunity to give back and help preserve the lands they enjoy.
This September 25th, more than 175,000 Americans will take part in NPLD, the nation's largest one-day effort to protect, beautify and restore our nation's public lands. National Public Lands Day offers people of all ages, in cities, suburbs and rural areas the opportunity to pitch in and help America's lands by planting trees, restoring trails, removing invasive species and more.
"Arbor Day reminds us of the importance of trees and nature in our busy lives," said Robb Hampton, director of National Public Lands Day. "Trees are the lungs of planet, cleaning the air, beautifying the landscape and purifying the soil. Millions of trees have been planted during National Public Lands Day events in the last few years. We look forward to planting trees and celebrating Arbor Day on our nation's public lands."
National Public Lands Day includes free admission to federally managed lands, including National Parks. Volunteers also will receive a coupon for a free return visit. With family-focused recreation activities planned at a number of NPLD sites - and with two free days at National Parks - families can take a cost-friendly vacation to a public land this September.
More than 2,000 sites around the country will host NPLD projects for every ability, interest and age.
Toyota Motor Sales, USA is the national sponsor of NPLD for the 12th year.
For more information on the importance of trees on public lands, visit: http://www.publiclandsday.org/library/index/resources.htm
To find a park, nature center, forest or trail near you, visit: http://www.discovertheforest.org/where.html