Sept. 29 Event is Largest Single-Day Volunteer Effort for Public Lands

WASHINGTON, September 12, 2012 - College and university students across the nation will play a vital role in National Public Lands Day (NPLD) on September 29. Student volunteers will be part of an effort at more than 2,100 sites to sustain our parks, beaches, forests and other lands we conserve and use for outdoor recreation, education and enjoyment.

“NPLD is an opportunity to join other students and help your local parks and other public lands,” said Robb Hampton, Director, Public Lands Program at the National Environmental Education Foundation (NEEF), which coordinates NPLD. “Service organizations on campuses that work with youths can also make NPLD an outing to connect with nature, or to get outside and be active that Saturday.”

Students can find a site to volunteer at www.publiclandsday.org/npld-sites or, alternatively, can coordinate and register a volunteering activity through National Public Lands Day OnCampus, in partnership with U.S. EPA (www.publiclandsday.org/highlights/national-public-lands-day-oncampus). The North-American Interfraternity Conference has also partnered with NPLD this year and will provide its member organizations information on volunteering and invite chapters to hold volunteering events.

More than 170,000 volunteers of all ages are expected on NPLD. There are now NPLD sites registered in every state, the District of Columbia and many U.S. territories. NPLD last year contributed an estimated $17 million in volunteer services to public lands, which include planting about 100,000 trees, shrubs and other native plants, as well as building and maintaining approximately 1,500 miles of trails.

Toyota Motor Sales, USA, Inc. is the event’s national sponsor for the 14th consecutive year. September 29th marks the event’s 19th year.

In recent years, college students in Florida helped remove invasive snails while learning about conservation in the Everglades. In Illinois, students maintained green spaces on campus by removing litter and planting native vegetation. In Washington state, students helped install compost bins, as well as honey bee and planter boxes.

NPLD is also a designated fee-free entrance day at many federal public lands including national parks. More information can be found at: www.publiclandsday.org.

NEEF is the nation’s leading organization in lifelong environmental learning, connecting people to knowledge they use to improve the quality of their lives and the health of the planet. We achieve this by providing knowledge to trusted professionals and other leaders who, with their credibility, amplify messages to national audiences to solve everyday environmental problems. Learn more at www.neefusa.org.

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