National Public Lands Day: A preview of projects

I've been bogged down over the past week attending planning meetings and getting the volunteer program budget up to date in preparation for the end of the fiscal year, which for the government in September 30, and haven't done as much blogging as I'd like. (Too bogged to blog?) Rest assured that, nevertheless, things are still happening with the volunteer program! I now have a huge backlog of stories and photos to share with you, and hope to get those caught up, bit by bit, over the next few weeks.

For starters, here's an update on National Public Lands Day, which is coming up next week (already!) on Saturday, September 27. We'll be posting a media advisory tomorrow and sending out a press release early next week. Meanwhile, I can tell you that we have a dozen different projects tentatively "on tap," and they represent an exciting range of volunteer opportunities. This list may (and probably will) change between now and next Saturday! But it will give you an idea of what we're thinking, and maybe inspire you to sign up (and tell your friends)!

Our day will begin, by the way, at 9am at Longmire. Rumor has it that neither George W. Bush, John McCain, nor Barack Obama will be present (though they would certainly be welcomed if they showed up), but President Teddy Roosevelt will be on hand to cheer us on! (Maybe he found our listing on the Service Nation website?) After our work we'll gather informally at the Community Building for pizza, cake, and a slide show of volunteers at work throughout the park this summer. T-shirts may also be involved.

See you there!

Tentative project list (in order of likelihood):

1. Glacier Peak Lookout brushing and cleanup
2. Skate Creek Road campground cleanup
3. Kautz Trail bridge construction
4. Paradise native planting
5. Longmire-Cougar Rock Wonderland Trail reroute construction
6. Mile 9 native plant seeding
7. Longmire Campground historic restoration
8. Highway 123 seeding and fencing
9. Pyramid Creek Camp relocation project
10. Twin Firs Trail timber structure construction
11. Lakes and Skyline Trail brushing
12. Pinnacle Peak Trail brushing

And don't forget the Washington Trails Association's work at Glacier Basin (and at several other sites around the state as well)...