National Public Lands Day 2011

National Public Lands Day is the nation’s largest hands-on volunteer effort to improve and enhance America’s public lands. Special events are planned across the country on National Public Lands Day to get volunteers to work together to build trails, bridges, remove trash and invasive plants, restore water resources and plant trees in a national park or in their own neighborhood.

Date: September 24, 2011.

National Public Lands Day Events in the Washington DC Area

In Washington DC

Kenilworth Park and Aquatic Gardens
1550 Anacostia Avenue, NE, Washington, DC (202) 426-6905. The park will have a garden clean-up. Come prepared to remove cut lotus from the ponds, clear invasive species, and prune and remove litter. All volunteers are required to wear long sleeve shirts, long plants, and no open toe shoes.

Rock Creek Park
5200 Glover Road, NW, Washington, DC (202) 895-6070. From 8:30-11:30 a.m., a variety of volunteer activities will be held in various locations in and near Rock Creek Park. From 11:30 a.m.-4 p.m. the general public and all volunteers are invited to the free Health & Recreation Fair, located outside the Rock Creek Park Nature Center. Family-friendly activities include bird walks and hands-on wildlife programs, a driving range activity with Rock Creek Park Golf Course, ranger-guided nature hike and astronomy/planetarium programs and more.

In Maryland

Antietam National Battlefield
5831 Dunker Church Road, Sharpsburg, MD (301) 432-5124. Volunteers are needed to work with park rangers on a variety of projects.

Fort Washington Park
13551 Fort Washington Road, Fort Washington, MD (301) 763-4600. On National Public Lands Day Fort Washington Park will host a river clean-up. Meet at the Lighthouse behind the fort.

Glen Echo Park
7300 MacArthur Boulevard, Glen Echo, MD. Plant new native plants, trims existing plants and brush, and build new picnic tables for the park. Repair, repaint and re-stain existing picnic tables. Volunteers will also help to pick up trash, pull weeds, and spread mulch.

Greenbelt Park
Sweetgum Picnic Area, 6565 Greenbelt Road, Greenbelt, MD (301) 344-3944. Invasive Plant Removal Day. Join a park ranger on National Public Lands Day to conduct a Still Creek watershed clean-up to help remove invasive plants.

Monocacy National Battlefield
5201 Urbana Pike, Frederick, MD (301) 662-3515. Volunteers will cleanup along the Monocacy River, which will primarily consist of debris and invasive plants.

Worthington Farm - 4236 Baker Valley Road, Frederick, MD (301) 662-3515. Volunteers will also work with park rangers to assist with tree line maintenance on the Historic Worthington Farm.

In Virginia

Manassas National Battlefield Park
12521 Lee Highway, Manassas, VA (703) 361-1339. On Public Lands Day volunteers will work with park rangers on various trail maintenance projects. Other activities include invasive plant removal, trash pickup and cannon painting.

Prince William Forest Park
18170 Park Entrance Road, Triangle, VA (703) 221-7181. Pine Grove Picnic Area. Projects include tree planting, fence repair, ball field rehabilitation, etc. Volunteers will work alongside rangers and park personnel making improvements and major contributions to the natural and cultural resources of the park.

In West Virginia

Harpers Ferry National Historical Park
Lower Town District, 171 Shoreline Drive, Harpers Ferry, WV (304) 535-6029 On National Public Lands Day volunteers will work with park rangers on a trail clean-up project. Guided hikes rated easy to challenging will be offered.