Get Active in Your Community on National Public Lands Day!
Fall is the perfect time to get outside. Get moving into the new school year with National Public Lands Day on September 25. It’s a chance to get out, volunteer and have fun at parks, beaches and open spaces in your community.
With over 2000 events planned across the country, National Public Lands Day is the nation’s largest hands-on, outdoor volunteer day. From urban greenways to the Grand Canyon, each of these projects promises to provide fun and fitness for the entire family. Last year, 150,000 volunteers from around the country built 1,320 miles of trails, removed 900,000 pounds of trash, cleared 20,000 pounds of invasive weeds, and planted 100,000 trees as part of National Public Lands Day.
Our public lands and waters contain some of the country’s most exquisite natural and cultural resources. Maintaining these areas for outdoor recreation contributes to the physical and mental health of our children. Research indicates that children who regularly interact with nature are more likely to maintain a healthy weight than their peers. Outdoor play has also been shown to lower stress and foster creative and cognitive skills in young people. Unfortunately, due to various physical and cultural barriers, outdoor recreation is increasingly taking a back seat to other activities in our children’s busy lives.
So Let’s Move Outside! On Saturday, September 25, gather your family and friends, and do your part to improve your health – and the health of our public lands. To find volunteer site near you, visit the NPLD homepage, or check out our Facebook page for the latest updates.
This year, we are hosting 16 special Let’s Move Outside service events that will focus specifically on outdoor recreation and healthy lifestyles. Come out and join us at one of the locations below!
Gila Box Riparian National Conservation Area, Arizona
Golden Gate National Recreation Area, California
Joshua Tree National Park, California
Guana Tolomato Matanzas National Estuarine Research Reserve, Florida
Jupiter Inlet Lighthouse Outstanding Natural Area, Florida
Fort McHenry National Monument and Historic Site, Maryland
Crosby Farm Regional Park, Minnesota
Fort Stanton-Snowy River Cave National Recreation Area, New Mexico
Yaquina Head Outstanding Natural Area, Oregon
Valley Forge National Historic Park, Pennsylvania
