Community

Citizens join government for successful National Public Lands Day

SEDONA, AZ - Oct 5, 2008 - Watching private citizens and members of municipal, state and federal agencies happily working together for a common cause is a rare sight. But that’s just what happened on Saturday, September 27th in Sedona when city, state and federal employees joined citizens from as far away as Minnesota for a working celebration of National Public Lands Day (NPLD). They were not alone, joining more than 120,000 volunteers across America in every state recognizing our public lands and contributing some effort to maintaining those lands that belong to all of us.

While traditionally NPLD sites are on federal lands such as national parks or forests, the Sedona-Oak Creek Canyon site was unique in that it included the Red Rock Ranger District of the Coconino National Forest, Arizona’s Slide Rock State Park and the City of Sedona’s unique system of recreational and historical parks and trails.

Volunteers at the Sedona/Oak Creek site were offered a variety of opportunities to help including removing brush at the Jim Thompson trailhead on the Coconino National Forest, removing graffiti from Slide Rock State Park, building a climbing wall and installing playground equipment at Sunset Park and “brushing-out” trails at Jordan Historical Park.

All volunteers received a commemorative tee shirt and poster, a free day-pass to a national park, and a Dutch oven lunch of chili, corn bread and apple cobbler prepared by Bill Stafford and crew from the Red Rock District of the Coconino National Forest.

The first NPLD was held 15 years ago and was designed to encourage citizens to come out and volunteer to help maintain our public lands system. Residents of the Verde Valley are fortunate to have immediate access to public lands including national parks and forests, wilderness areas, state parks, an extensive system of backcountry trails and municipal parks. All land managing agencies including the City of Sedona provide opportunities for citizens to volunteer and help preserve our natural and cultural resources for future generations. For more information about volunteer opportunities with the City of Sedona Parks and Recreation, call 282-7098.

Tell a friend about this page! Their Name: Their Email: Your Name: Your Email:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Home Page] [News Home Page] [Back to Community Page]