Visit the National Park This Saturday for Free
As the current presidential administration continues to threaten the integrity of our state lands, it is more important than ever to preserve our national parks.
On Saturday, as part of National Public Lands Day, admission to federal public parks and recreation areas across the U.S. will be free to raise awareness of local volunteer land conservation efforts. This weekend, you’ll find volunteer opportunities in different parks, such as coastline cleaning, trail maintenance or tree planting, as well as activities such as bike rides and local environmental festivals.
To volunteer or find an event near you, use the search locator of the National Endowment for Environmental Education ; you can search by activity such as entertainment or cultural events. The day is not limited to adults either. We invite children to become volunteers and take part in the cleaning.
According Neef , in last year’s event was attended by 113 055 volunteers planted more than 12,000 trees and flowers, raised nearly 200,000 pounds of trash and removed more than half a million of invasive plants. If you don’t have plans yet, use Saturday to volunteer and help save your local community park – and enjoy time at the park or beach after it’s done.
If you can not become a volunteer this year, think about donating to organizations like Neef ; contributions will go to NEEF’s environmental education efforts. And for a complete list of participating parks, visit the National Park Service website and filter by state.