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Dear NPLD Site Managers, Partners and Volunteers,
National Public Lands Day, now in its 17th year, has become the nation's largest single-day outdoor volunteer event. Mark your calendars today for September 25th, 2010. This year, NPLD promises to be the biggest and best yet. We anticipate over 175,000 volunteers at over 2,300 volunteer worksites throughout our nation. Last month, President Obama announced the Creation of a 21st Century Strategy for America's Outdoors. The National Environmental Education Foundation's (NEEF) president, Diane Wood, was in attendance and participated at the conference that accompanied this announcement. NEEF looks forward to contributing to this initiative while coordinating NPLD this year. Building on the traditional participation of federal and state land management agencies, NPLD will expand its participation in urbanized areas, particularly among youth. We will be working with city park organizations to identify opportunities that will foster involvement of inner city youth and public lands within their own community. NPLD will also be focusing on the recreational opportunities and health benefits that public lands offer. Public Lands are the gym with a view. This year, we are encouraging site managers to invite volunteers to enjoy a hike, bike ride or other popular recreational activity after a day of volunteering.
Site managers can register events now at www.publiclandsday.org and benefit from planning tips provided throughout the spring and summer. While you are at our website, take the time to see what the Public Lands Program has to offer. On May 27, we will be holding our third capacity building webinar through our Power of Friends Network. This series of webinars is designed to assist public land managers and friends organizations develop their organizational capacity.
Thank you for your continued support and participation in the Public Lands Program and National Public Lands Day. We look forward to another wonderful year celebrating our public lands. Get out there!
Robb Hampton,
Director, National Public Lands Day |
| Register Now for National Public Lands Day -
Sept. 25, 2010 |
 Site managers can now register their event and receive their FREE promotional materials and other resources in time for our first shipment in June. Materials will be sent out throughout the summer and early fall. Site managers may also download an editable version of our promotional poster. Promotional materials in Spanish are also available for download. Download materials here. |
Celebrating the Great Outdoors
White House Conference on America's Great Outdoors | |
On April 16, the White House and Department of the Interior hosted the America's Great Outdoors Conference, to address the challenges, opportunities and innovations surrounding modern-day land conservation and the importance of reconnecting Americans and their families to the outdoors. The conference featured remarks from President Obama, White House Council of Environmental Quality Chair Nancy Sutley, Secretary of Interior Ken Salazar, Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack and EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson. Watch a video of Obama's speech at the conference
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The Power of Friends Network
Save the Date for Webinar #3 - May 27, 2010 | |
Join us on May 27, 2010 at 3 p.m. EST for Nonprofit Governance, the third in a series of four webinars presented in partnership with the Association of Partners for Public Lands.  Register here.
The webinar is intended for nonprofit board members and the staff who work with them. The training covers the basic responsibilities of a governing board, board/staff relations, conflict of interest, maximizing board effectiveness, and tools for evaluating and improving board effectivenes.
The two previous webinars, Providing Authentic Programs and Experiences through Partnerships and The Power of Friends: Building and Maintaining Partnerships That Work are both available online. The Public Lands Program has also developed a list of resources on increasing organizational capacity, strategic planning, fundraising feasibility studies, evaluation tools, consultant relations and more. |
Department of Defense Legacy Program
2010 Applications Now Available |
 The Department of Defense provides funds to the National Environmental Education Foundation for National Public Lands Day partnership projects on military lands open to the public for recreation.
National Public Lands Day projects that take place on Department of Defense lands, including those managed by the US Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps and National Guard, are eligible to receive Legacy funding.
Legacy funds are awarded for projects that emphasize natural or cultural resource restoration.
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| National Conference on Volunteering and Service
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Robb Hampton, director of National Public Lands Day, will give a presentation at the National Conference on Volunteering and Service in New York City on June 28-30, 2010.
Hampton will be co-presenting with Take Pride in America and The Golden Gate Parks Conservancy the topic "Big Ideas on a Small Scale: Implementing National Initiatives at the Local Level." |
Let's Move!
Get Outdoors and Get Fit on Our Nation's Best Playgrounds |  This year, First Lady Michelle Obama introduced Let's Move!
The initiative is designed to solve the epidemic of childhood obesity and inactivity. Children and adolescents are becoming increasingly unhealthy, both physically and mentally as they spend more time sitting indoors and less time recreating outdoors. Childhood obesity or excess weight threaten the healthy future of America's youth.
Public lands are often your best resources for getting active. Outdoor play time and activities such as hiking, skating and bicycling are beneficial to a child's physical and mental well-being. Regular exposure to the natural environment can increase physical activity, help childhood development, act as a coping mechanism for attention disorders and reduce stress.
National Public Lands Day is a great opportunity to promote outdoor play to youth. This year, we are asking site managers to promote all the diverse recreational opportunities available at their park. Volunteers can explore new activities such as hiking, biking and swimming, while getting healthy in America's backyard. |
| Climate Change and Public Lands
Learn More About Climate Change's Effects On Our Parks |  America's public lands -- nearly 700 million acres -- are experiencing the effects of climate change including increased 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 might lead to a loss of these irreplaceable natural resources. Learn more and find resources to teach others. |
| Featured NPLD Partner
American Hiking Society - National Trails Day® on June 5, 2010 | |
While volunteers will be working hard to improve their parks on National Public Lands Day, they will also be enjoying America's natural wonders. NPLD is a gateway to discovering the beauty and opportunity for fun at our parks. NPLD partners with a number of other organizations to promote the message of getting out and enjoying our public lands, including American Hiking Society.
American Hiking Society's signature trail awareness program, National Trails Day ® inspires the public and trail enthusiasts nationwide to seek out their favorite trails to discover, learn about, and celebrate trails while participating in educational exhibits, trail dedications, gear demonstrations, instructional workshops and trail work projects.
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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 Gauge®, and Health and Environment- we offer Americans knowledge to live by. To learn more, call (202) 833-2933 or visit www.neefusa.org.
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Our Programs
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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. The Public Lands Program aims to increase the capacity of public lands stewards to engage local communities to help care for our public lands. The Public Lands Program provides online training resources, networking opportunities and small grants to increase the capacity of friends groups. |
| | National Sponsor |
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 12 consecutive years. They have also sponsored Tour Grants and the Public Lands Program Capacity Building Grants.
Toyota encourages employees to get involved in NPLD activities by helping to care for parks, forests, rivers, beaches, shorelines and other public lands. Read more about Toyota's strong commitment to the environment and their support of National Public Lands Day. |
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| Corporate Sponsor
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Northrop Grumman Corporation is a leading global security company whose 120,000 employees provide innovative systems, products, and solutions in aerospace, electronics, information systems, shipbuilding and technical services to government and commercial customers worldwide. Through its partnership with National Public Lands Day, Northrop Grumman employees across the nation will join together to improve and enhance public lands, supporting the company's corporate responsibility efforts in embracing green initiatives and translating values into action. |
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| Public Lands Education Resource Center
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NPLD has an extensive library of information, activies and resources to educate children and adult volunteers about the natural world:
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| Fee Free Day |
National Public Lands Day is a fee free day on many federally managed lands. Volunteers who participate on National Public Lands Day at federal land sites are rewarded with coupons for free entry into their favorite federal public land areas. Learn more. | | | Girl Scouts
and Boy Scouts |
NPLD has a special partnership with both the Girl Scouts of the USA and the Boy Scouts of America. Boy and Girl Scouts are invited to get involved in National Public Lands Day by volunteering at a local park, forest or other public land. NPLD is an excellent opportunity to educate Boy and Girl Scouts about the natural world while engaging them in the outdoors. Register Now.
NPLD is part of the Linking Girls to the Land partnership with the federal land agencies. NPLD connects scouts to public lands in their region.
Girl Scout troops register to participate on NPLD and receive volunteer certificates.
Girl Scouts may be eligible to earn the Get with the Land patch.
Boy Scouts
Boy Scouts of all ages can install bird boxes, plant trees and native vegetation, collect native seeds, repair stream banks, remove invasive species and trash, renew trails and more.
Boy Scout troops register to participate on NPLD and receive scout volunteer certificates. |
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