Do Your Part for National Parks this Saturday

From the National Parks Conservation Association in Seattle:

MEDIA ADVISORY—Public Service Opportunity

More than 170,000 Volunteers Expected to Help Clean Up National Parks, including Mount Rainier on National Public Lands Day

WHAT: Trail Maintenance work and revegitation at Mount Rainier National Park.

WHO: We urge the public to join staff and members of the National Park Conservation Association, along with the National Park Service.

WHEN: Saturday, September 25, 2010, 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.

WHERE: Mount Rainier National Park. Meet at Longmire Museum, 6.5 miles east of the Nisqually Entrance in the southwest corner of the park.

For directions please visit the Longmire Museum link provided above. For more information, please call NPCA’s regional office at 206.903.1444.

CONTACT: Bethany Van Etten, Administrative Coordinator—Northwest Region National Parks Conservation Association, 206.903.1444, bvanetten@npca.org

WHY: The National Parks On Saturday, September 25, 2010, more than 170,000 volunteers across the country are expected to lend a hand in cleaning up America’s public lands in recognition of the 17th annual National Public Lands Day. The nation’s leading voice for the national parks, the nonprofit National Parks Conservation Association (NPCA) will assist in this effort and work with local volunteers at national park sites across the country, including Mount Rainier National Park in Washington. "National Public Lands Day provides volunteers an opportunity to enjoy America’s Great Outdoors and help with important restoration efforts like planting native plants, cleaning up campgrounds from storm damage, and restoring trails throughout our national parks,” said Bethany Van Etten, with NPCA’s Northwest Regional office. “The event helps bring together thousands of individuals nationwide who share an appreciation for the public lands that we so often enjoy, but many times forget to care for.”

National Public Lands Day was established in 1994 and is the nation’s largest hands-on volunteer effort to improve and enhance the public lands, including national parks. This year, National Public Lands Day is celebrating service and recreation on public lands and is educating volunteers about the health benefits of spending time outdoors. After the event, volunteers are encouraged to explore the wonders of the great outdoors by taking a hike, swim, or bicycle ride. National Public Lands Day is also a fee-free day for many federally managed lands, including the National Park System. Volunteers who participate are given coupons for a second free entry into their favorite federal public land areas. To learn more, visit the NPCA events page or http://www.publiclandsday.org/.