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Our Programs
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National Public Lands Day is the nation's largest single-day volunteer effort to improve our public lands.
The Public Lands Program builds capacity for friends organizations supporting public lands throughout the nation.
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National
Corporate Sponsor
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For 14 years, Toyota has been the national corporate sponsor of the National Environmental Education Foundation's (NEEF) National Public Lands Day. In 2011, Toyota and NEEF also formed a new partnership to launch the Public Lands Every Day Program --- building capacity for friends organizations supporting public lands throughout the nation.
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First Round of Every Day Capacity Building Grantees Announced
Grantees to receive up to $5,000 in funding | |
Twenty-six nonprofit friends groups received grants of up to $5,000 as part of the Every Day Capacity Building Grants. The grants assist with projects ranging from volunteer training, website development, mobile-giving and strategic planning.
The following are just a few examples of what organizations are doing with their grants:
View all twenty-six grantees
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Volunteer with Grantee Rock Creek Conservancy
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Grant applications varied from local friends groups with all-volunteer staff and small budget to large, well-established friends groups. This wide range of applicants shows the need for additional capacity-building grants.
The second round of the Every Day Capacity Building Grants has closed and is in the review stage. Applicants will be contacted in July as the review process concludes.
The Every Day Capacity Building Grants program is made possible with the support of Toyota Motor Sales, USA. Inc. which has partnered with the National Environmental Education Foundation for the past 14 years and is supporting National Public Lands Day.
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More than 500 Sites Have Registered for NPLD
What are you waiting for? Register online!
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National Public Lands Day, on September 29 this year, is off to a great start with over 500 sites registered in 41 states and the District of Columbia. The Bureau of Land Management has registered the most sites so far with 161. Join in the celebration of service and register an event today at our website.
 Many of the sites registered for NPLD are hosting events for the first time, including:
- The Beacon Food Forest, Seattle, Washington - NPLD will be the groundmaking ceremony for this new seven-acre food forest.
- Elgin Community Gardens, Elgin, Illinois - Twenty-one community gardens will be harvesting food to donate to shelters and community centers.
- Chena River State Recreation Area, Fairbanks, Alaska - This state park needs volunteers to help clean up a shooting range.
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Emerson Brook Forest Center, Gilsum, New Hampshire - The Sustainability Project, with support from volunteers, will extend the trails around a vernal pool.
If you have any questions about National Public Lands Day or registering your event, email npld@neefusa.org.
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Video Contest Deadline Extended Until July 2nd. Enter Today!
Make a short video on how public lands benefit YOU! | Anyone who enjoys spending time on our public lands to keep fit and enjoy nature is encouraged to participate in NPLD's video contest. The Step in America video contest invites you to share:
- What activities you do on the public land(s) you love to visit.
- How these public spaces benefit your body or mind.
Participation in NPLD is not required -- all you need is a video camera and a love of the outdoors!
 The contest is sponsored by REI and includes over $1,500 in prizes. The first place winner will receive a mountain bike and a two-person tent. Two runners-up will receive an outdoor camping starter kit with items including a tent, sleeping bag or day-hike backpack.
The deadline for submissions is Monday, July 2, 2012 at 3 p.m. EDT. Find additional information on the shareable contest flyer or visit the contest webpage.
No purchase necessary. All contest participants must be residents of the U.S. and meet all eligibility requirements. Void where prohibited. Read the complete rules.
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Use NPLD to Teach Volunteers How to Protect Bats
Plan bat friendly work projects suitable for the whole family
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Courtesy of the Organization for Bat Conservation
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If you're in the planning stage of your NPLD event, consider leading a bat-themed event. There are numerous resources online that make it easy to design and implement bat friendly projects.
- Build Bat Boxes - The Organization for Bat Conservation has a detailed how-to video and design plans on building bat boxes. Have skilled volunteers cut the pieces. Less experienced volunteers and families can assemble the boxes and decorate them.
- Bat Garden - Plant a native garden that attracts the insects bats most like to eat, such as moths. The garden can be near a bat box or a dead tree that serves as a roost for bats.
- Bat Education - After volunteering, lead a bat education program focused on common myths, biology and threats to bats. If the event happens around sunset, take the volunteers on a bat walk.
In the lead up to NPLD, the U.S. Forest Service and its partners will be hosting a live webcast event from the Bracken Cave in southern Comal County, Texas on September 18. The Bracken Cave is the home to million of Mexican free-tailed bats. During the summer it is the world's largest bat colony. As the final broadcast of the BatsLive series, viewers will be able to learn about these bats and watch them fly out from the cave during their nightly emergence.
The Bracken Cave webcast is on September 18, 2012 from 7-8:30pm ET. For more information on bats, the Bracken Cave event or the first two BatsLive broadcasts, visit the BatsLive webpage.
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Site of the Month
A treehouse helps connect Milwaukee families to their public lands
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Covering an entire city block in Milwaukee is the Urban Treehouse, a green space where local residents and children can learn about nature and play in a safe environment. The Urban Treehouse receives a lot of visitors. National Public Lands Day has become the signature event to beautify the park and clean the facility before the winter months.
In 2011, the National Public Lands Day event at the Urban Treehouse was overseen by Keep Greater Milwaukee Beautiful (KGMB). Volunteers planted trees, removed litter and weeds, and shoveled dirt. After service projects concluded, families were invited to make nature crafts, go on hikes and participate in a scavenger hunt. There was even an opportunity to meet Smokey Bear and Woodsy Owl!
The 2012 event will once again include a mix of service and family fun activities. To learn more about this event or contact the site manager, visit their NPLD event page.
The Urban Treehouse is managed with support from the USDA Forest Service's Urban Connections program, KGMB and other local organizations.
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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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