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Dear NPLD Site Managers, Partners and Volunteers:
Happy New Year!
National Public Lands Day is entering its 19th year celebrating volunteerism on public lands. As the program has grown since 1994, so has the resources and opportunities available to our volunteers, partners and supporters. Here is a small sampling of what's to come this year:
- Expanded webinars: 2012 will feature more webinars with targeted focuses such as building stronger finances and improving philanthropy.
- A spring video contest: Information about the new video contest will be announced soon.
- The Every Day Grants program is expanding: There will be additional funding for capacity building for nonprofit organizations who work with public lands.
These are just a few things that we are working on to make National Public Lands Day Every Day! However, the big event this year is still National Public Lands Day on Saturday, September 29, 2012. Mark your calendars now and start thinking of where you will be at! Get out there! Robb Hampton Director, National Public Lands Day |
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View the Winners from the 2011 Photo Contest
Three outstanding photos were chosen to receive REI prize packs  | |
Last week, NPLD announced the winning photos from the "Volunteers in Action" photo contest. Over 90 photos were judged by two panels of judges. The three winning photos, representing a range of public lands, showcase the volunteer opportunities available in our nation's parks, green spaces and community gardens.
- First Place: received a REI outdoor camping package, including a backpack, sleeping bag and tent with footprint.
- Second Place: received a REI outdoor camping package, including a backpack, sleeping bag and tent.
- Third Place: received a REI outdoor camping package, including a backpack, sleeping bag and water bottle.
To view the winning photos and learn more about the contest, visit our website. Also check out the NPLD Flickr page.
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Wildlife Conservation Grants for Youth
High school students can apply for $1,000 in funding
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2011 Planet Connect Grantee
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Do you know a high school student with a creative idea for conserving and protecting wildlife and its habitat in their community? Planet Connect is reaching out to these innovative young people and offering them student grants of $1,000 to implement their projects and participate in a local internship focused on wildlife conservation.
Planet Connect is looking for problem-solving projects that focus on wildlife conservation in the local community or school. What is the need for the project, its goals and anticipated challenges? The project should be creative and involve a wide range of groups from the community.
The students chosen as winners will be provided $500 to turn their projects into a reality. After completing their project in June, they will participate in an 80-hour wildlife conservation or natural resource internship during the summer of 2012. At the end of the internship, they will be awarded a $500 stipend.
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Listen to Earth Gauge Podcasts
Download tips through iTunes or listen online
 Instead of reading about Earth Gauge tips, why not listen to them? Weather and environment tips produced by Earth Gauge are now being featured on iTunes. New tips are uploaded monthly.
Check out the latest audio clips! Previous clips include tips on reducing water and energy costs, preparing gardens for winter, recycling pumpkins and reducing indoor air pollution from fireplaces.
Similar to NPLD, Earth Gauge is a program of the National Environmental Education Foundation. The goal of Earth Gauge is to provide environmental and climate knowledge to broadcast meteorologists in order to increase the public's knowledge to make environmentally informed decisions. The program also directly educates the public through their innovative Earth Gauge Kids!, climate fact sheets and Spanish language programming.
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Site of the Month
Allegany State Park formally declares its support for NPLD
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New York's Allegany State Park has hosted a volunteer event for the past seven NPLD celebrations. They started in 2005 with 54 volunteers completing six projects around the park. Each year since, the number of projects have grown as has the dedication of the volunteers. According to Allegany State Park staff member Heidi Tschopp, "Along with new faces, we have a strong core of volunteers that turn out year after year. They really believe in this event and they take pride and ownership in their park."
 With support from the Commissioner of the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation, Allegany State Park produced a park-wide proclamation recognizing each year of their service on NPLD and the importance of volunteers to this effort.
The proclamation states, "Park volunteers are a vital and important part of our efforts to initiate and complete restoration projects to keep Allegany State Park beautiful so more people will be inspired to return to and appreciate their public lands in the future."
Read the full Allegany State Park NPLD proclamation online.
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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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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 13 consecutive years. They have also sponsored Tour Grants and the Every Day 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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Girl Scouts and Boy Scouts | |
NPLD has a special partnership with both the Girl Scouts of the USA and the Boy Scouts of America.
Scouts are invited to get involved with 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.
Scout troops that register online with NPLD can download volunteer certificates.
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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. |
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About NPLD | |
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. |
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