Girl Scouts of the USA Get Involved Guide

Use this helpful guide to plan your Girl Scout - National Public Lands Day (NPLD) event.  The hard work should be done on NPLD, not planning for it!  Download a PDF version of the Get Involved Guide at the bottom of this page.

Girl Scouts have two ways to get involved with NPLD:

• Create your own NPLD event by working with a local site manager. This is a good option for Girl Scout Troops and Councils. A step-by-step guide to building your own NPLD event is below.

• Join an existing public land service project. Over 2,000 sites register with NPLD each year. Visit the Find a Site page to locate a nearby site and the site manager’s contact information. This is a good option for individuals or small groups of Girl Scouts.

Get Involved Guide: A Step-by-Step Plan for a Successful Girl Scouts NPLD Event

Step 1: Find a Public Land

Search out a nearby public land site such as:

• A national, state, county or city park
• A public beach
• A playground
• A schoolyard
• A walking, biking or hiking trail
• A forest preserve

Step 2: Connect with the public land manager

Contact the park or other person in charge of that space (i.e. the principal of a school, a city superintendent for parks or the park volunteer manager) and ask about volunteering opportunities. Work with that person to determine what improvement projects are needed and what age-appropriate work activities your Girl Scouts might perform on NPLD.

Step 3: Register

In order to officially participate, Girl Scout leaders should register their troop, council or individual scouts. Register and you will receive free NPLD promotional materials and your event will be listed on the NPLD website. You may download and personalize a special Girl Scout certificate.

Step 4: Plan the Day

• Work with the public land manager to plan the volunteer workday.

• Decide on the time of day and number of hours the Girls Scouts will work.

• Work with the public land manager to divide up work projects and duties.

• Be prepared! Create a checklist of all the things you will need. Consider bringing snacks or lunch, water bottles, sun block, sunglasses, wide-brimmed hats, hiking boots or other sturdy shoes, work gloves, a first aid kit, and of course, a camera.

• Are tools, materials, equipment or preliminary work needed? Determine where to obtain food and necessary materials. If appropriate, ask for donations from the community. Consider asking a hardware store to donate the supplies that you will need, and a restaurant to donate your food and drinks.

• Increase your impact and recruit more volunteers by using NPLD promotional posters and brochures. You can also request materials when registering.

• On the day of the event, make sure that you follow the Girl Scouts safety guidelines, which you can access from your local Girl Scout Council.

• Get your cameras ready to take great photos and video footage. Encourage the Girl Scouts to take photos, too. Enter them into the NPLD photo and video contests.

• For more help with organizing your event, download A Manual for Site Managers.

Step 5: Develop an Environmental Education Activity

NPLD is a great opportunity for Girl Scouts to learn about the natural world.

• Search the NPLD Educational Resource Libraryfor activities and educational curricula around themes such as water, trees, wildlife and invasive plants.

• Work with the public land manager to identify a naturalist or other environmental expert to engage the Girl Scouts in a learning experience during the workday.

Step 6: Have Fun on National Public Lands Day!
Have a successful NPLD with Girl Scouts helping to care for public lands and learning more about the natural world.

Step 7: Follow Up

• Award the girls with downloadable NPLD Girl Scout certificates (available soon).

• Share your story! Submit an evaluation and photos.

• Have the Girl Scouts submit entries into our annual photo and video contests.

• Come back! Keep in contact with the park manager and plan to visit the park again, to volunteer or simply take a hike. Try to develop a sustainable project where Girls Scouts can make a long term contribution to the park.

• Participate again next year!

get_involved_guide.pdf