Celebrating National Public Lands Day

National Public Lands Day, a nationwide celebration of public lands, is a day that brings awareness to open space and thanks the many people for their support and hard work, including volunteers, land agencies, and outdoor-minded businesses.

The event is the largest annual volunteer hands-on restoration activity of its kind. It brings together thousands of volunteers from coast-to-coast to refurbish and restore the lands and facilities Americans use for recreation, education, and just plain enjoyment.

Come Help At Pleasant

Lake Pleasant Regional Park, a registered National Public Lands Day site, is seeking dedicated volunteers to participate in a clean-up effort on Saturday, Sept. 28 from 7 to 11 a.m. “Last year, around 300 volunteers showed up at the lake to assist with clean-up efforts and collected over 100 bags of trash,” said Maricopa County District 4 Supervisor Clint Hickman.

The event is open to hikers, paddlers, scuba divers, boaters, bicyclists, supervised youth and all types of community groups. The $6 day-use entry fee will be waived for volunteers who register outside the main contact gate between 6:30 and 8 a.m.

A limited number of gloves and trash grabbers will be available so volunteers are encouraged to bring their own. Efforts will be focused on those areas in greatest need.

Future In Focus

“We have thirteen full-time employees at the lake; six of which are dedicated to park maintenance. During the summer months, the park averages close to 200,000 visitors. As attendance rises, so do the trash levels; especially around the holidays. While the National Public Lands Day Clean-Up Effort is a great way to remove debris from the park, it’s also an opportunity for our ranger to educate the volunteers about the Sonoran desert and invite them back for a future visit,” said R.J. Cardin, Maricopa County Parks and Recreation Department director.

Volunteers should wear light clothing, comfortable closed-toed shoes with support, hats and bring plenty of sunscreen. Lake Pleasant Regional Park is located at 41835 N. Castle Hot Springs Road which is 15 miles west of I-17 just north of the Carefree Highway. For more information, contact the park directly at (602) 372-7460 ext. 200, or visit http://www.maricopa.gov/parks/lake_pleasant/.

About Maricopa County Parks & Recreation

From hiking on a barrier-free trail, to horseback riding along a creek, Maricopa County Parks offer visitors the best of the Sonoran Desert. At approximately 120,000 acres, Maricopa County is home to one of the largest regional park system in the United States. All trails within the Maricopa County Park System are for non-motorized use only.

The ten parks in the system circle the metropolitan area and all are within a 45-minute drive from downtown Phoenix.

For more information on the park system, visit http://www.maricopa.gov/parks or phone (602) 506-2930.