Give Mother Nature a hand on National Public Lands Day
On Sept. 26, tens of thousands of Americans will give Mother Nature a hand — and help sustain ecosystems on which we rely for fresh water, clean air and recreation.
On the 16th annual National Public Lands Day, volunteers will clear trails, pull invasive plants, build bridges and plant trees.
According to the National Environmental Education Foundation, the NPLD’s first year attracted 700 volunteers; last year, 120,000 volunteers participated nationwide. This September, more than 130,000 volunteers are expected at 2,000 locations.
Virginia’s Prince William Forest Park, D.C.’s Kenilworth Aquatic Gardens and San Francisco’s Golden Gate National Recreation Area earned “signature site” recognition in recent years. But one of the most passionate NPLD gatherings is found in Grand County, Colo., home to Rocky Mountain National Park and 600 miles of trails.
For 15 years, the location has drawn hikers, bikers, boaters, retirees, children — and vacationers. The event supplies an extra reason to visit this high-altitude paradise dotted by rustic lakeside villages and mountain biking/ski resorts in September, when the aspens turn brilliant yellow and the “bugling” songs of amorous elk echo for miles.
In addition to free park admission, NPLD volunteers in the Rocky Mountain area get transportation to project sites, meals and a big evening celebration, says National Forest Service forester Mike Ricketts. “With so many miles of trails, we need volunteers to help maintain them.”
The work doubles as zen time among three-toed woodpeckers, marmots, elk, Indian paintbrush and fairy trumpets in the forests, meadows, lakes and peaks exceeding 12,100 feet.
Locals Cathy and Bill Ross are longtime NPLD volunteers. The avid mountain bikers and hikers enjoy giving back to the land that has been the center of their family’s life. “Last year, I was scraping a trail on Devil’s Thumb, and when I stood up to stretch, as far as I could see were people working together,” Cathy Ross says. “The feeling [of community] was overwhelming.”
Grand County projects include planting trees to offset loss from bark beetle infestation, removing trash from the Colorado River and rerouting part of the scenic trail along the Continental Divide, which divides the flow of water between the Atlantic and Pacific oceans.
Nature guide Dede Fay discussed environmental engineering feats key to Grand County’s heritage: the hand-digging of the Grand Ditch from 1893 to 1920 and construction in the 1940s of the Shadow Mountain tunnel by Grand Lake (Colorado’s largest and highest natural lake at 8,367 feet). Both projects continue to divert water for use throughout the region.
Here, water is more precious than gold. And nature is the tie that binds.
Reach Robin Tierney at [email protected]
