News Release
| Release Number: | 04-177 |
| Dated: | 9/14/2004 |
| Contact: | Diana J. Fredlund, 503-808-4510 |
PORTLAND, Ore.- The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers invites the public to join it in celebrating National Public Lands Day (NPLD) on Saturday, Sept. 18. There will be volunteer as well as fee-free recreation opportunities.
The Corps will waive day-use fees at Corps-run recreation areas in Oregon and Washington on Saturday Sept. 18.
Volunteers are needed at Bonneville Lock and Dam to help make the shorelines a cleaner and safer place for wildlife. Registration begins at 8:30 a.m. and the cleanup is from 9 a.m. to noon. To participate, please contact Bonneville park rangers at (541) 374-8344. Bonneville Lock and Dam is located at Exit 40 off Interstate 84.
At Lost Creek Lake in the Rogue Basin the Corps is co-sponsoring a fishing line cleanup at McGregor Park and hosting a variety of educational exhibits. The activities are from 9 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. McGregor Park is located 30 miles northeast of Medford along state route 62 just below Lost Creek Dam. For more information call 541-878-2255.
All volunteers at NPLD Corps-sponsored events will receive a fee-free coupon good for day use or entrance fees for one day at any participating federal agency park, forest or recreation area.
The focus of the 2004 NPLD is to educate Americans about critical environmental and natural resource issues, creating partnerships with public groups and the community and improving, enhancing and restoring public lands for outdoor recreation.
By waiving day use fees, the Corps encourages all Americans to take part in NPLD activities, or just enjoy the nation's public lands and waters.
Last year nearly 80,000 volunteers built trails and bridges, planted trees and plants, and removed trash and invasive plants during NPLD events across the country.
The Corps is one of our nation's largest providers of outdoor recreation, operating more than 2,500 recreation areas at 456 projects (mostly reservoirs) and leasing an additional 1,800 sites to state or local park and recreation authorities or private interests. The Corps hosts about 375 million visits each year at its lakes, beaches and other areas, and estimates 25 million Americans, or one in ten, visit a Corps project at least once a year.
Additional information about the Corps' recreation program is available at https://www.nwp.usace.army.mil/op/s/rec_home.htm. Information about NPLD is at http://www.npld.com/index.cfm.