NEEF’s National Public Lands Day is the nation’s largest single-day volunteer event for public lands. Established in 1994 and held annually on the fourth Saturday in September, this celebration brings out thousands of volunteers to help restore and improve public lands around the country. NPLD is also a “Fee-Free Day”—entrance fees are waived at national parks and other public lands.
For NPLD 2021, we’ll maintain and build on the theme of “More Ways to Connect to Nature.” While virtual events were a necessity for many NPLD Site Managers last year, they have also proven to be an invaluable tool for connecting a wider, more diverse range of people to iconic parks, national forests, marine estuaries, and other public lands sites. This year, our goal is to highlight that diversity—in public lands, people, and the ways in which we value and care for these spaces—by supporting in-person, virtual, and hybrid NPLD events.
NPLD is special because it provides all lovers of the environment—old and new—an opportunity to show our appreciation for these precious natural resources through trail restoration, park clean-ups, and other events that teach us about the environment.
Event registration is open! Check out the information below to help you plan and promote your NPLD event. Stay connected to a community of NPLD participants and keep up to date with the latest news – join our NPLD Facebook Group.
Locally, Hickory Run State Park is hosting this event. Here is more info: https://events.dcnr.pa.gov/event/national_public_lands_day_clean-up_8149#.YUNPd8iJLIE
NATURE NUGGET: Developed as a tool to help vacationers book lodging and other accommodations in the Smoky Mountains, which rise above the Tennessee-North Carolina border, the Fall Foliage Prediction Map from SmokyMountains.com provides peak leaf change predictions for the entire continental United States. Check it out to see the specs of leaf colors here in our neck of the woods. Be sure to click on the date line immediately below the US map to get an idea of what fall will be like.
NATURE QUOTE:
“Porcupine Pat” McKinney is environmental education coordinator for the Schuylkill Conservation District and provides programming for people of all ages with an emphasis on schools, public programming and nature center development. “Porcupine Pat” hails from Marion, Ohio and has a BS with Distinction in Natural Resources – Environmental Interpretation from Ohio State. He is a recipient of the prestigious Sandy Cochran Award for Excellence in Natural Resources Education from the PA Forestry Association, the Schuylkill Pride Award, and the PAEE “Outstanding Environmental Educator Award.”
