The number one reason most of us bought our RVs was to spend more time in the outdoors.
Coming up soon is a wonderful opportunity for families to give back a little to that special public campground or mountain top or secret fishing hole that we love … and need.
Be one of the thousands of outdoor enthusiasts from across the country who will come together on Saturday, Sept. 24, for National Public Lands Day, our nation’s largest single-day volunteer effort for America’s public lands.
“Each year we ask Americans to set aside one day – the last Saturday in September – to lend a hand to the lands that we use to hike, bike, climb, swim, explore, camp, picnic or simply relax,” according to folks at the National Environmental Education Foundation.
This year, Saturday, Sept. 24 marks the 23nd annual celebration and is also fee free entrance day at National Parks, Bureau of Land Management, National Park Service, U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, U.S. Forest Service and many state park lands.
What started as three events and 700 volunteers has grown to more than 2,000 events and 175,000 volunteers. It’s not too late to volunteer, just click on “Find a Site” for locations across the country. In addition to thousands of projects on federal lands, there is a tremendous state park involvement with a record 535 state park sites where there are participating volunteer, recreational and educational events.
Or, if you simply want to walk in your local city park, consider taking along a nice-size garbage bag and pick up trash along your path. And, of course, we don’t have to wait until the last Saturday in September to pitch in and help.
Photo: One of our favorite lakes to canoe — Lake Ellen on the Colville National Forest, Washington state. (Julianne G Crane)
