Los Angeles Hosts National Public Lands Day Events

More than a dozen Los Angeles-Area Sits Host Clean-Up Events on Saturday, September 24, Part of National Effort

Los Angeles – On Saturday, September 24, more than 170,000 volunteers, including volunteers at more than a dozen Los Angeles-area sites, are expected to visit their favorite parks, beaches, wildlife preserves, or forests and chip in to help improve these treasured places. They’ll be taking part in National Public Lands Day (NPLD), the largest, single-day volunteer effort for public lands in the United States.

The City of Los Angeles, County of Los Angeles Department of Parks and Recreation, U.S. Navy, California Institute of Environmental Design & Management, Los Angeles Park Rangers and Palos Verdes Peninsula Land Conservancy are among the organizations coordinating NPLD events in and around Los Angeles. For example, volunteers will be:

• removing debris from the Augustus Hawkins Nature Park;
• maintaining trails and planting trees in the Kenneth Hahn State Recreation Area;
• removing non-native plants along a nature trail in Carbon Canyon Regional Park;
• propagating native plants and picking up trash in the Santiago Park Nature Reserve;
• removing weeds and pick up trash along the Colby Trail in Glendora; and 
• planting native species and remove debris and non-native invasive flora at the Santa Fe Dam Recreation Area.

WHAT:     National Public Lands Day – Los Angeles Events

WHEN:    Saturday, September 24, 2011, 9am

WHERE:    More than a dozen locations. Search by zip code for complete list: http://www.publiclandsday.org/npld-sites

CONTACT:     Amber Taylor, 703-201-4893, amber@sambertaylor.com

This year marks the 18th annual National Public Lands Day, an event that brings together thousands of volunteers from coast to coast to improve and restore the lands and facilities that Americans use for recreation, education, exercise and relaxation. NPLD has provided more than $15 million in contributed services by volunteers annually to public lands.

As part of this celebration of public lands, NPLD is also supporting the first lady's Let’s Move Outside initiative as it engages families and youth to get outside and be active through hands-on fun activities.

Toyota Motor Sales, USA, Inc. is the event’s national corporate sponsor for the 13th consecutive year. Northrop Grumman has joined as a contributing sponsor again for the 3rd year. The National Environmental Education Foundation (www.neefusa.org) coordinates National Public Lands Day.

Eight federal agencies will participate along with more than 250 state, county, and city partners and a host of nonprofit groups, including the Boy Scouts of America, The Girl Scouts of the USA, Student Conservation Association and The Corps Network.

More information can be found at www.publiclandsday.org.

Los Angeles Media Advisory