Volunteers To Help Clean Up Tuckahoe State Park While Celebrating Public Lands Day

Queen Anne, Md. (September 30, 2010) — Tuckahoe State Park will be celebrating National Public Lands Day on Saturday, October 2 and invites citizens to help beautify and restore land at the Park. Over 170,000 volunteers visited their favorite parks, beaches, wildlife preserves or forests on September 25 to improve these treasured places as part of National Public Lands Day, the largest single-day volunteer event for public lands in the nation.

Volunteers may register beginning at 8:45 a.m. at the Lake Pavilion. Participants will meet at 9 a.m. and have an opportunity to learn Leave No Trace ethics, meet local wildlife and play games before venturing through the park. A trash tally will take place at 11:30 a.m. along with a drawing for door prizes. All necessary supplies will be provided by the park.

This year marks the 17th annual National Public Lands Day, an event that brings together thousands of volunteers from coast to coast to improve and restore the lands and facilities that citizens use for recreation, education, and just plain enjoyment. Last year over 150,000 citizens participated at sites in all 50 states.

Toyota Motor Sales, U.S.A., Inc. is the event’s national corporate sponsor for the twelfth consecutive year. Northrop Grumman has joined as a corporate sponsor for the second year. Nine federal agencies will participate along with over 250 state, county and city partners and a host of nonprofit groups, including the Boy Scouts of America, the Girl Scouts of USA, Student Conservation Association, and The Corps Network. The National Environmental Education Foundation coordinates National Public Lands Day.

For more information regarding the event at Tuckahoe State Park, contact the park office at 410-820-1668, email park-tuckahoe@dnr.state.md.us or visit www.publiclandsday.org to see a list of all National Public Lands Day sites, activities and contacts.

The Maryland Department of Natural Resources is the state agency responsible for providing natural and living resource-related services to citizens and visitors. DNR manages nearly one-half million acres of public lands and 17,000 miles of waterways, along with Maryland's forests, fisheries and wildlife for maximum environmental, economic and quality of life benefits. A national leader in land conservation, DNR-managed parks and natural, historic and cultural resources attract 11 million visitors annually. DNR is the lead agency in Maryland's effort to restore the Chesapeake Bay, the state's number one environmental priority. Learn more at www.dnr.maryland.gov