News Release Archive

Reclamation Celebrates National Public Lands Day with Events Throughout the West

Media Contact: LaVona Andrew, 202.513.0578, landrew@usbr.gov

For Release: September 17, 2004

The Bureau of Reclamation, along with local, state and other federal agencies, will participate in the eleventh annual National Public Lands Day on Saturday, September 18. This is a nationwide event for local volunteers to improve and learn about stewardship of the nation's public lands.

More than 90,000 volunteers are expected at 600 locations nationwide. Last year, 80,000 volunteers worked at 550 sites across the nation, making the event the largest volunteer, hands-on effort of its kind in the country. More than $10 million in improvements were contributed. Reclamation is sponsoring events at 11 sites across the West this year.

"More Americans have been participating in National Public Lands Day each year, and this popularity shows the great value we all place on our public lands," said Reclamation Commissioner John Keys. "Reclamation's partnership in this event demonstrates our commitment to the stewardship of public lands, and our understanding of the value they provide to all Americans, especially in the West."

The event is held annually in September to encourage citizens to volunteer their time and effort on projects such as stream bank restoration, trail building, invasive species removal, litter pickup, tree planting, and wildlife habitat improvements.

National Public Lands Day began as Public Lands Appreciation Day with 700 volunteers at three locations. The program is sponsored by the National Environmental Education and Training Foundation in Washington, D.C. More information about Public Lands Day can be obtained at www.npld.com.

Following is a list of Reclamation's National Public Lands Day events. Additional information about each event may be obtained by calling the local contact.

Cascade, Idaho: Lake Cascade and Montour Reservoir - June, July, August, 2004 Contact: Warren Sedlacek - 208.382.4258 Event Summary: In June, July, and August, local Boy Scouts and LDS church campers installed bluebird, kestrel, bat, and wood duck boxes. They planted over 500 cottonwoods and nearly 400 willows in and around the Cascade and Montour reservoir areas.

Cody, Wyoming: Shoshone River Canyon - September 11, 2004 Contact: Jay Dallman - 307.261.5608 Event Summary: Reclamation and Access Fund, a volunteer group, will be picking up litter and debris along the Shoshone River and the adjacent highway in the two and a half mile stretch of the Shoshone River Canyon just below Buffalo Bill Dam, west of Cody, Wyoming.

Folsom, California: Lake Natoma - September 18, 2004 Contact: Shana Avalos - 916.989.7150 Event Summary: Volunteers will pick up trash and debris to clean up the hiking and biking trails along the shores of Lake Natoma and along the American River near the Nimbus Fish Hatchery. Partners are Reclamation and California State Parks.

Fresno, California: San Joaquin River - September 18, 2004 Contact: Valerie Curley - 559.487.5255 Event Summary: Reclamation and River Tree Volunteers for California Coast Commission are sponsoring the event to remove tires and debris from San Joaquin River. One hundred volunteers are expected to participate.

Leavenworth, Washington: Wenatchee River Salmon Festival - September 18-19, 2004 Contact: Craig Sprankle - 509.633.9503 Event Summary: This salmon festival, now in its 14th year, celebrates the return of the salmon through environmental education and entertainment. Volunteers will be demonstrating exhibits, assisting biologists, and providing natural resource education. Partners are Reclamation, Fish and Wildlife Service, and Forest Service.

Loveland, Colorado: Green Mountain Camp - September 18, 2004 Contact: Bob Burton - 970.962.4361 Event Summary: Reclamation's Eastern Colorado Area Office will help with stabilization of a historic National Register structure on Reclamation land at Green Mountain Reservoir, Colorado. The building is part of Green Mountain Camp, built in 1937 to house Government employees during the construction of the reservoir. This small duplex housed two families in a beautiful setting at the bottom of a gorge, just below the dam. Volunteers will re-shingle the building's roof and seal the doors and windows to deter vandalism.

Page, Arizona: Glen Canyon National Recreation Area and Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument - September 18, 2004 Contact: Joan B. Mayer, National Park Service - 928.608.6353 Event Summary: Volunteer groups, Friends of Lake Powell, Glen Canyon Natural History Association, National Park Service, Reclamation, and local residents will remove off-road tracks, install signs, and perform rehabilitation work in Lonely Dell Orchard in Lees Ferry. Also, they will replace outdated fencing to assist wildlife migration.

Phoenix, Arizona: South Mountain Park and Phoenix Outdoor Recreation Fair - September 18, 2004 Contact: Patricia Cox - 602.216.3830 Event Summary: Reclamation's Phoenix Area Office and other volunteers will join the City of Phoenix and Bureau of Land Management in work on erosion control and reseeding along the Judith Tunell Accessible Trail at the South Mountain Park. Following that, the Area Office will have an exhibit on recreation on Reclamation lands in Arizona at the Outdoor Recreation Fair at the South Mountain Environmental Education Center.

Sonora, California: Tuttletown Day Use Area - September 18, 2004 Contact: Dan Holsapple - 209.536.9094 Event Summary: Reclamation's New Melones Office is planning to refurbish a day use area to provide one small-group picnicking site and several family sites. The group site and four of the family sites will be ADA-compliant and wheelchair accessible. Other work will involve gathering trash and debris from around the water edge in the Tuttletown Recreation Area.

Henderson to Boulder City, Nevada: River Mountains Trail - October 29, 2004 Contact: Bill Martin - 702.293.8707 Event Summary: Reclamation will join local partners and the National Park Service, Bureau of Land Management, Forest Service and other Federal agencies in an event highlighting the ongoing work on the 35-mile long River Mountains Trail. The trail connects municipal parks and trail systems in Henderson and Las Vegas, Nevada with Lake Mead National Recreation Areas, Hoover Dam and Boulder City, and will expand recreational and alternative transportation opportunities for the region. The educational event will be held at the Nevada State Railroad Museum in Boulder City and will feature information booths and entertainment by area partners; short hiking, biking and horseback riding opportunities along a developed portion of the trail; and free excursion train rides.

Yuma, Arizona: Yuma Crossing State Historic Park - November 6, 2004 Contact: Kathy Carr - 928.343.8133 Event Summary: Volunteers will perform a bankline cleanup of the Colorado River on the Arizona bank between the Ocean-to-Ocean and 4th Avenue bridges.

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The Bureau of Reclamation is a federal agency under the U.S. Department of the Interior and is the nation's largest wholesale water supplier and second largest producer of hydroelectric power. Our facilities also provide substantial flood control, recreation opportunities, and environmental benefits. Visit our website at https://www.usbr.gov and follow us on Twitter @USBR; Facebook @bureau.of.reclamation; LinkedIn @Bureau of Reclamation; Instagram @bureau_of_reclamation; and YouTube @reclamation.

Relevant Link:

National Public Lands Day