 |
Dear NPLD Site Managers, Partners and Volunteers,
The new year holds exciting developments for the National Environmental Education Foundation. National Public Lands Day is now part of a broader Public Lands Program which aims to increase the capacity of public lands stewards and engage local communities to help care for our public lands.
The Public Lands Program will provide online training resources, networking opportunities and small grants to increase the capacity of friends groups to work more effectively with public land managers and strengthen the reach of National Public Lands Day.
With stronger local partners, National Public Lands Day will continue to grow as the nation's largest single day volunteer event for public lands. This year promises to be the biggest and best yet.
National Public Lands Day continues to commemorate and celebrate the legacy of the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC), the "tree army" created as part of the New Deal. The new "tree army," NPLD volunteers from across the country, are answering President Obama's call to service with a commitment of public service to our public lands.
We hope that you take the time and mark your calendars early for this year's National
Robb Hampton Director, National Public Lands Day |
| Association of Partners for Public Lands (APPL)
You're Invited to the APPL Conference Webinar on Feb. 8, 2010 |
Mark you calendars!  The Public Lands Program is partnering with the Association of Partners for Public Lands (APPL) to develop a series of workshops and webinars for our growing network of public lands "friends" groups.
The first webinar will feature a 90-minute workshop, The Power of Friends: Building and Maintaining Partnerships that Work. The webinar will stream live from the APPL Annual Partnership Convention in San Diego on Feb. 8, 2010 at 1pm PST (4pm on the east coast).
The workshop will be led by Robb Hampton, director of National Public Lands Day at the National Environmental Education Foundation (NEEF) and Donna Asbury, Executive Director of the Association of Partners for Public Lands.
Public land managers and friends groups are invited to participate in the webinar to discover the potential of strong partnerships.
Participants will gain information and access to resources pertaining to the benefits of partnering including the types of services partners can provide in collaboration with public lands agencies.
This is the first of a series of webinars beginning this spring. Topics will range from joint planning and communication, nonprofit governance, and fundraising and friendraising.
All are invited to participate in these free webinars. Stay tuned for m
ore information about the first webinar, upcoming schedule and registration information. |
| Climate Change and Public Lands
Learn More |
 America's public lands make up 30 percent of the nation's land area; almost 700 million acres total. Climage change may increase flooding, storms, droughts, wild fires and an influx of invasive species altering the ecosystems within our nation's parks, forests, refuges and shorelines. These changes could create new pressures on plant and animal communities. In the absence of adaptation this may lead to a loss of irreplaceable natural resources.
The Public Lands Program has created a page devoted to climate change and public lands that hosts links from other participating agencies. Please visit and learn more about this hot topic. |
| National Public Lands Day Network Calendar
Celebrating Public Lands All Year Round |
|
 Are you planning a cleanup or other work activity sometime this winter or spring? We want to hear about it! The National Public Lands Day website includes a network calendar of volunteer events happening throughout the year.
View the NPLD Network Calendar
Volunteer coordinators are invited to submit information about their work projects planned over the next few months. Volunteers can check out the calendar to find events going on across the country. |
| Photo and Video Contest Winners Announced
NPLD 2009 Participants Capture Volunteers in Action |
 Each year National Public Lands Day invites volunteers to participate in an annual photo contest. In 2009, the photo contest theme was Volunteers in Action and showcased the efforts of NPLD volunteers working to improve our public lands.
Also in 2009, the contest expanded to include a video category encouraging volunteers to illustrate a story about their National Public Lands Day experience, the work they accomplished and what motivated them to volunteer. View the winners. Watch more videos on YouTube and see more photos submitted by volunteers on Flickr. Thanks to all volunteers and site managers who participated. |
| NPLD 2009 Featured Site
Figueroa Mountain Lookout, Los Padres National Forest, Calif. |
|
The historical Figueroa Mountain Lookout was severely vandalized in 2009, including damage to the lookout door, windows, fences and surrounding area. A group of Boy Scouts from Troop 93 of Los Padres Council were upset by the damage and decided to refurbish the site as part of National Public Lands Day in September, 2009.
 The 19 Scouts and leaders worked for eight hours to clean up the damaged building. The Scouts filled trash can after trash with glass and other debris from both inside and outside the Lookout. They picked up debris from broken windows, beer bottles, soda cans, food wrappers, empty boxes, cigarette butts and even an old tractor battery. At the end of the day, the Scouts overflowed a large dumpster with more than a ton of trash.
The previously glass-covered floors of the Lookout were spotless by the time the group finished. The garage was swept out and the torn-down fence and gate door were repaired.
By dusk the Scouts were tired and proud. They spent the evening at the Lookout, star gazing and admiring the beauty of the National Forest, adjacent to the San Rafael Wilderness.
Once again, the beautiful and historical Figueroa Lookout is clean and debris-free for others to enjoy thanks to the commitment and hard work of this dedicated group of Boy Scouts.
-- Helen Tarbet, U.S. Forest Service, Los Padres National Forest, California
The US Forest Service is an instrumental and valued partner of National Public Lands Day. The Forest Service was one of the founding agencies to participate in the first National Public Lands Day more than 16 years ago in 1994. Since then, the Forest Service involvement has grown. In 2009, NPLD events took place at 119 National Forest sites in 26 states across the nation.
Boy Scouts of America is one of National Public Lands Day's leading national nonprofit partners. Boy Scouts pitch in every National Public Lands Day, including at least 127 troops from 28 states and Puerto Rico in 2009. The National Environmental Education Foundation signed a Memorandum of Mutual Support with the Boy Scouts of America in 2008. This memorandum recognizes NPLD as an excellent opportunity to educate Boy Scouts about the natural world and engage them in the outdoors. |
|
|
|
April 11-17, 2010
National Environmental Education Week (EE Week), the nation's largest environmental education event held April 11-17, 2010, inspires environmental learning and stewardship among K-12 students. EE Week connects educators with environmental resources to promote K-12 students' understanding of the environment. EE Week and NPLD are both programs of the National Environmental Education Foundation.
 Our nation's water and energy resources are increasingly important topics of discussion not just in the news, but in classrooms and homes as well. Recognizing the importance of conserving both water and energy to protect the planet and reduce costs - and acknowledging the connection between water and energy - EE Week's 2010 theme is Be Water and Energy Wise.
You can join a national network of educators dedicated to increasing environmental literacy, promote environmental learning and gain national exposure for your school or organization by registering at www.eeweek.org/register.
| |
The National Environmental Education Foundation (NEEF) provides knowledge to trusted professionals who, with their credibility, amplify messages to national audiences to solve everyday environmental problems. Together, we generate lasting positive change.
NEEF partners with professionals in health, education, media, business and public land management to promote daily actions for helping people protect and enjoy the environment. Through our primary programs- Classroom Earth, National Public Lands Day, National Environmental Education Week, Business and Environment, Earth GaugeŽ, and Health and Environment- we offer Americans knowledge to live by. To learn more, call (202) 833-2933 or visit www.neefusa.org.
| |
|
|
Our Program
|
|
National Public Lands Day is the nation's largest hands-on volunteer effort to improve America's public lands. NPLD began in 1994 with three federal agencies and 700 volunteers. On Sept. 26, 2009, 150,000 volunteers lent a hand at more than 2,000 locations across the nation. Eight federal land management agencies along with many state and local agencies participate in this annual day of caring for shared lands. Join us for the next National Public Lands Day on Sept. 25, 2010. |
 |
| Martin Luther King, Jr. Day of Service
Monday, Jan. 18, 2010 |
January 18th is the Martin Luther King, Jr. National Day of Service. Volunteer with Americans across the nation on the 2010 King Day of Service and make a real difference in your community.
Visit Serve.gov to find volunteer opportunities in your area and learn more. |
 |
|
|
Toyota Motor Sales, USA, Inc. operates under a Global Earth Charter which was set forth to promote environmental responsibility for every aspect of the company and significantly reduce the impact that Toyota's vehicles have on the planet.
In line with their commitment to environmental responsibility, Toyota has sponsored the National Public Lands Day program for the past 11 years. Going above and beyond their sponsorship, Toyota has also encouraged their employees to get involved in NPLD activities throughout the nation by helping to care for parks, forests, rivers, beaches, shorelines and other public lands. In September 2009, over 3,100 Toyota employees volunteered at 37 different public land areas in 17 states and in Puerto Rico. Read more about Toyota's strong commitment to the environment and their involvement in National Public Lands Day. |
 |
|
| Become a fan of National Public Lands Day and help to spread the word to potential volunteers. Site managers and volunteers are encouraged to share their experiences, stories, photos, news and video clips of their National Public Lands Day events.
|
 |
|
Follow National Public Lands Day on Twitter for regular updates. Also take a look at the National Environmental Education Foundation's Twitter page. |
|
| Send in Internship Opportunities for High School Students |
|
Planet Connect, a component of Classroom Earth, is an online social network where high school students can learn about current environmental issues, funding opportunities, green colleges and environmental careers.
Planet Connect is developing a project to provide high school students with access to online information on environmental internships at non-profit organizations and government agencies.
If your organization has any environmentally-themed internships available for high school age students, please submit them to classroomearth@neefusa.org. Be sure to include organization name and type, contact information, length of internship, whether it is paid or unpaid, application deadline, and a description of the internship in less than 100 words.
The internship information will be compiled and posted on the website www.planet-connect.org. High school students across the country will use this information to seek out internships that will eventually lead them on paths to successful environmental careers.
| |
|
