Celebrate National Public Lands Day by planting for wildfire rehabilitation
Organization
BLM Office:
Media Contact:
WORLAND, Wyo. – The Bureau of Land Management Worland Field Office will partner with the community on Saturday, Sept. 29, for a shared conservation stewardship project in celebration of National Public Lands Day.
Volunteers are invited to spend 2–3 hours spreading native seed and planting native starter plants in the area burned last August by the Banjo Fire. The native seeds, including Great Basin wildrye and sagebrush, were collected during last year’s NPLD event.
“This project will help bring back native vegetation needed for wildlife and livestock,” said BLM Outdoor Recreation Planner Hannah Fortney. “Because of local adaptation, these seeds and starter plants have a higher chance of survival than seeds and starters grown or collected in a different geographic region under different environmental conditions.”
Participants will meet in the BLM Worland Field Office parking lot at 9 a.m. to carpool and caravan to the burned area near Worland. Wear closed-toe shoes and bring water and gloves. Volunteers will receive a t-shirt, hat and coupon good for a one-time free entrance to Yellowstone National Park or another federally managed area of their choice.
NPLD began in 1994 with three sites and 700 volunteers. Since then, the event has grown by leaps and bounds and is now the nation's largest, single-day volunteer effort for the care of public lands.
“Events like this are valuable and I hope volunteers join us and take this morning to enjoy the great outdoors,” said Fortney.
For more information, contact Fortney at 307-347-5100 or hfortney@blm.gov. For more information about NPLD visit www.publiclandsday.org or www.facebook.com/nationalpubliclandsday. Tweet about your NPLD experience on Twitter with the hashtag #NPLD or @PublicLandsDay.
The BLM manages more than 245 million acres of public land located primarily in 12 western states, including Alaska, on behalf of the American people. The BLM also administers 700 million acres of sub-surface mineral estate throughout the nation. Our mission is to sustain the health, diversity, and productivity of America’s public lands for the use and enjoyment of present and future generations.