The National Environmental Education Foundation (NEEF) National Public Lands Day (NPLD) is the nation's largest single-day volunteer effort for public lands. Through NPLD, NEEF works to connect people to public lands in their community, inspire environmental stewardship, and encourage use of public lands for education, recreation, and general health. This year's event will be held on September 30.
To encourage people to join in and visit their public lands,
NPLD is a fee-free day for all federal public lands and many state parks.
Whether you volunteer on NPLD, enjoy some boating, hiking, fishing, or camping, or simply learn more about your public lands and the plants and wildlife that live there, we invite you to take this day to enjoy the great outdoors and celebrate the lands that give us so much."
One opportunity to volunteer in Maryland will be a beach clean up at
Assateague Island National Seashore. Entrance fees will be waived, and the event kicks off at 9 a.m. in the North Beach parking lot. The day will wrap-up when the dumpster is full, around noon-ish. Show up with gloves, sunscreen, insect repellent and water; you'll be assigned a beach or bayside clean up location and will be given a tally sheet to track the trash you collect.
Some crews will be assigned to the shrubs on the bayside for some "dirty, hard work." Make sure to wear sturdy close-toed shoes, work clothes, and work gloves if you are interested in working that section. Owners of private four-wheel drive vehicles with an OSV pass are encouraged to remove trash in the OSV area, however vehicles without a pass are not permitted to drive on the beach.
Volunteer Opportunities in Maryland (by the water)
Bear Creek: help clean up the historic shoreline of Bear Creek and Chalesmont Park where both the British and American set up defensive positions during the War of 1812, Battle of North Point.
C&O Canal National Historical Park: Learn about invasive plant species and their ecological impact and then help restore the natural ecosystem by manually removing a large growth of Arrow Bamboo.
Fort McHenry National Monument and Historic Shrine: Celebrate National Public Lands Day with the National Aquarium Conservation Team at Fort McHenry. They need your help to remove debris from the marsh and enhance the area with beneficial native plant gardens. Cleanup data will contribute to the Ocean Conservancy’s International Coastal Cleanup.
Fort Washington Park: Help clean up the park shoreline along the Potomac River. There will be gloves, bags, and a limited supply of trash pickers. Meet at the Lighthouse.
Herring Run Park: Help clean up the woods and waterways of trash and debris at the Lower Herring Run and Armistead Run tributaries to the Chesapeake Bay.
Oxon Cove Park: Meet in the parking lot no later than 1:15 and take a tractor-drawn wagon ride down to the Potomac River. Wear clothes and shoes that you don’t mind getting muddy; work gloves provided.
There are also several water cleanup opportunities in Virginia. For the full list and to register for one of these activities, click to the
National Public Lands Day page and scroll down to "NPLD for Volunteers."