As summer begins to wind down, September brings the perfect opportunity to celebrate and rejuvenate in our forests and natural spaces. The 31st annual National Public Lands Day on Saturday, Sept. 28, offers a chance for recovery and restoration after a busy summer season, turning community enthusiasm into impactful stewardship.

A signature event of the National Environmental Education Foundation, National Public Lands Day has grown to be the largest single-day volunteer effort for public lands, thanks to support from the USDA Forest Service and other federal, state and local partners.

Some of the 2024 planned events include river clean-ups on the Tonto National Forest in Arizona, removing trash and litter on the Custer-Gallatin National Forest in Montana, and refurbishing trailhead signage on the Uinta-Wasatch-Cache National Forest in Utah, to name a few.

“The Forest Service is a proud supporter of National Public Lands Day in recognition of its power to educate and engage people of all ages and demographics in environmental stewardship,” said Dr. Kimberly Winter, director of conservation education at the USDA Forest Service.

A Little Help from Friends

National Public Lands Day events are held in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and U.S. territories. Forests are encouraged to host their own event or combine with a nearby partner event to maximize attendance. Coordinating on a common day can enhance partnership opportunities, expanding space, support and activity options. Public events can be found here.

Since 2015, the Forest Service has held an average of 97 public lands day events per year (excluding 2020). Many of these events are co-hosted with local friends' groups or other state and federal agencies, increasing their capacity and impact.

Mandy Chumley, public affairs specialist at the National Forests and Grasslands in Texas, discussed how collaborating with local, state and federal partners made her National Public Lands Day event at Lake Sam Rayburn in the Angelina National Forest a success. She shared her experiences during this year's NPLD presentation to the Forest Service.

"Something that really worked well for us was keying in on the established partnership with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers," Chumley said about adding staff capacity and resources to help clean up both the national forest and lakeshore. "We were able to use the USACE boats as well as Texas Parks and Wildlife services’ to remove large pieces of debris without having to trudge it up through forest land."

In addition to partnering with a local radio station to promote the event, Chumley took advantage of NEEF’s resources to get the word out and encourage participation. “I can’t stress enough how registering through NEEF really helped support us in our planning process and being able to utilize the free day-use recreation coupons […] as a sign of appreciation for our volunteers,” she said.

Inspire and Attract Volunteers with an NPLD Event

Not only is National Public Lands Day a way to connect with your local community and let them experience the beauty and wonder of forest land, but it also offers a chance to join a larger movement that celebrates the invaluable gift of our nation’s public lands.

In the last decade, over 1 million volunteers have donated nearly 5 million hours of their time for public lands on NPLD, worth an estimated $133 million. Hosting a successful event where participants feel they’ve made a difference can build momentum and help recruit volunteers for ongoing stewardship projects.

How You Can Get Involved

Want to get involved in this year’s National Public Lands Day? Here’s how:

• Visit NEEF’s website

  • Go to NEEFusa.org/NPLD for more details, helpful resources and our promotional toolkit.

• Register your event(s)

  • Add your event to the official NPLD map to reach thousands of potential volunteers in your community. Registration also automatically signs you up for our NPLD newsletter, featuring event promotion tips and expert advice. Plus, your event will be included in the NPLD Impact Report, which showcases all the work done throughout the country on NPLD. As a special gift, the first several Forest Service sites registered on NEEF’s website will receive free Woodsy Owl educational items to distribute to volunteers.

• Request fee-free coupons

  • Many public land sites offer a fee-free day on NPLD, and you can request additional fee-free coupons to distribute to volunteers as a thank you for their hard work. To receive your allotment of fee-free coupons, you must register your event(s) on NEEF’s website. Step-by-step instructions are available via this helpful infographic. The deadline to request your NPLD fee-free coupons is Friday, Aug. 2.

If you have specific questions about registering your National Public Lands Day event, please email npld@neefusa.org.

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