National Public Lands Day
Enhancing community spaces fosters environmental stewardship, promotes civic pride, and creates cleaner, more enjoyable public areas for all.
Mobilize eco-conscious volunteers and community groups around a national day of environmental stewardship to build brand affinity through corporate volunteering and local impact initiatives.
- Corporate team cleanup challenge: which company removes the most litter from local parks?
- Before/after transformation stories from community volunteer projects
- Partner with local nonprofits to promote free park entry and volunteer sign-ups
- Employee volunteer day tie-in: encourage staff participation in public lands restoration
Since 1994, National Public Lands Day has been observed in the United States with the purpose of inspiring and organizing volunteers to help restore public lands all throughout the nation. The day was originally called Public Lands Appreciation Day and was organized by Times Mirror Magazine, collaborating with the Bureau of Land Management. This first event involved just two public land sites and included at least 700 volunteers and took place on July 30 of that year.
Today, the event has moved dates and is observed in late September, after the heat of the summer ends and there are hundreds of thousands of people who volunteer in parks and public land areas all over the country. In more recent years, National Public Lands Day has become a signature collaborative effort that is sponsored by the National Environmental Education Foundation and involves many more federal agencies to become the largest single-day volunteer event that is dedicated to keeping and maintaining public lands. The day continues to promote volunteers and community support while also reminding everyone about the enjoyment and benefits that come from public lands.
Volunteer for National Public Lands Day
The best way to get involved with this important day dedicated to care and preservation is to contact the local branch of the National Parks Service to find out what events are being held in honor of National Public Lands Day. Plus, at national parks that charge an entrance fee, the fee is often waived in honor of this day.
Organize a Clean Up
People who aren’t near a national park or who would rather keep things closer to home can certainly still get involved with National Public Lands Day! Gather a group of friends, co-workers, scouts troops, youth groups or others to spend this day volunteering to do a cleanup at a local city park, public beach, lake or other community space. It’s a great way for people to come together and make a difference in their local area.