The East Central Illinois Master Naturalists invite you to participate in the 21st Annual National Public Lands Day (NPLD), the nation’s largest single-day volunteer effort for public lands. Last year nearly 175,000 volunteers worked at 2,237 sites in every state, the District of Columbia, Guam and Puerto Rico to improve and protect their public lands.
To add your number to the ranks, find a site near you and plan to volunteer on September 27th. Visit web.extension.illinois.edu/cfiv/mn/4361.html for a list of local sites in need of your help.
Volunteers will wade through the prairie, learn about prairie plants, and collect seeds. These seeds then let us propagate flowers and grasses at other prairies. Another common activity is removing the invasive plant species in woodland or prairie areas so the native plants can survive and support a diverse insect and bird population.
For over two decades, National Public Lands Day has been an opportunity to educate Americans about the environment and natural resource and the need for shared stewardship of these valued, irreplaceable lands. Partnerships are built between the public sector and the local community based upon mutual interests in the enhancement and restoration of America’s public lands.
Seven federal agencies as well as nonprofit organizations and state, regional, and local governments participate in the annual day of caring for public lands. National Public Lands Day keeps the promise of the Civilian Conservation Corps, the “tree army” that worked from 1933-1942 to preserve and protect America’s natural heritage. You can find out more about NPLD at http://www.publiclandsday.org/
If you need a reasonable accommodation to participate in this program, please contact the Champaign County Extension office at 217.333.7672.
University of Illinois College of Agricultural, Consumer & Environmental Sciences — United States Department of Agriculture — Local Extension Councils Cooperating
University of Illinois Extension provides equal opportunities in programs and employment.