National Public Lands Day 2011 was held on September 24. 

"Taking care of our public lands is and must continue to be a proud American tradition." - President Barak Obama

National Public Lands Day (NPLD) is the largest volunteer event that benefits America's public lands. NPLD is held on a Saturday in late September when thousands of Americans volunteer to improve and enhance our nation's public lands.

In 2010, the number of BLM-managed sites participating in National Public Lands Day increased by 20% from 2009, totaling 230 sites and approximately 13,000 volunteers. Idaho BLM hosted 5 of these projects. 

Thanks to all our volunteers who helped at National Public Lands Day 2011!

Check out our photos from our events on facebook.

Heart Mountain Springs Campground Clean-up Pocatello Field Office   The Pocatello Field Office hosted a National Public Lands Day event at Heart Mountain Springs Campground. About 20 local Boy Scouts volunteered to construct 300 linear feet of a cedar split rail fence to protect Stockton Creek and its embankment from recreational use. The volunteers determined where the fence needed to be placed to provide maximum use of the campground, while still allowing protection of the creek and nearby riparian area. The volunteers contributed a total of 120 hours of service and saved the BLM approximately $2,000.
Blue Creek Bay Trail Project Coeur d'Alene Field Office Twenty-two volunteers from the Coeur d’Alene area lent a hand at the Coeur d’Alene Field Office’s annual National Public Lands Day event. The event was held at the Wallace Forest Conservation Area, located at Blue Creek Bay on Lake Coeur d’Alene. Three groups of volunteers worked on activities including trail construction, enhancement of riparian plantings and trash pickup in the area.
St. Anthony Sand Dunes Clean-up Upper Snake Field Office This dune complex receives over 250,000 visitors annually and in many areas, litter and debris are left behind by the users and buried by blowing sand. Over 500 volunteers, including OHV enthusiasts, pulled together to clean-up the St. Anthony Sand Dunes for National Public Lands Day.  Using sand sifters, garbage bags and gloves the volunteers attacked old fire pits and other high-use areas to collect over 2,000 pounds of debris within and adjacent to the dunes. This year’s event topped last year’s cleanup event as the largest NPLD gathering at the dunes. The volunteers contributed over 1300 hours of work, saving the bureau over $26,000 in cleanup costs.
South Fork Snake River Clean-up Upper Snake Field Office The South Fork of the Snake River is an eligible Wild and Scenic River with 39 Wilderness Study Areas located within the corridor. For NPLD, twenty-three volunteers from the Idaho Falls Key Club and the local Girl Scouts volunteered to clean-up approximately 40 designated campsites along a stretch of the South Fork of the Snake River. This stretch of river is a 14-mile roadless stretch and can only be accessed by boat. Volunteers collected over 300 pounds of ash and garbage from this area. Wolf Flats Clean-Up About 100 Boy Scouts, as part of the Grand Teton Council, helped clean-up the Wolf Flats dispersed recreation area. The boys collected 700 pounds of garbage and ash from the camping sites. Volunteers also cleaned up debris at Cress Creek and painted and installed kiosk/regulatory signs at Stinking Springs Trailhead. Birch Creek About 200 people volunteered to clean-up the Birch Creek campground and the surrounding area. North Menan Butte Area A group of about 30 Boy Scouts volunteered on BLM lands west of North Menan Butte. The group collected about 6,000 pounds of garbage in the  area.
Morley Nelson Snake River Birds of Prey National Conservation Area (NCA) Restoration Project Four Rivers Field Office On a bright and warm fall day, about 25 individuals and families gathered at Dedication Point in the Morley Nelson Snake River Birds of Prey National Conservation Area (NCA) to celebrate National Public Lands Day. The volunteers planted sagebrush seedlings and a variety of pollinator friendly forbs in the island between the parking lot and Swan Falls Road, and they installed six new signs along the interpretive trail. Partners included the Idaho Department of Fish and Game’s Habitat Restoration Crew, Snake River Raptor Volunteers and participants from the local area. Dedication Point is a heavily used day-use site that provides an overlook of the Snake River Canyon. With the emphasis on habitat restoration in the NCA’s Resource Management Plan, this project will begin to showcase what a diverse Wyoming big sagebrush habitat in the NCA should look like. Plant identification signs will be placed in the island to help the public identify native plants. This NPLD project was a continuation of an effort started in March 2011 to rehabilitate the day-use site.
"Go Bat Crazy in the Desert" - Little Jacks Creek Wilderness and Poison Creek Recreation Site Clean-Up  Bruneau Field Office This National Public Lands Day event drew about 30 volunteers to the Poison Creek Recreation Site and Little Jacks Creek Wilderness on September 24. The event helped improve public lands in southwestern Idaho. Some volunteers inventoried plant communities on a recently acquired parcel of public land within Little Jacks Wilderness led by BLM Botanist Holly Beck. Other volunteers spread gravel and used small power tools to define a vehicle parking area and built a stile with the help of Bruneau Field Office Recreation Planner Dave Draheim. Other volunteers installed a large bat house at Poison Creek Recreation Site with BLM Wildlife Biologist Bruce Schoeberl.