News Release
| Release Number: | 01-135 |
| Dated: | 9/20/2001 |
| Contact: | Heidi Y. Helwig, 503-808-4510 |
Portland, Ore. --If you have ever wanted to get down to the nitty gritty when it comes to preserving natural areas in Oregon, mark your calendar for National Public Lands Day (NPLD) on Saturday, Sept. 29, 2001.
This year, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is partnering with the Eugene District of the Bureau of Land Management to celebrate the nationwide event. From 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Sept. 29, visitors and volunteers can take an active role in improving the area below Schwarz Campground at Dorena Dam on the Row River about six miles east of Cottage Grove, Ore. Planned activities include building bird and bat houses and clearing a trail below the campground. Eventually, the trail will become part of a self-guided interpretive trail that leads from the campground to a nearby pond.
Lunch, t-shirts, prizes and all working tools will be provided. Volunteers should bring drinking water, however, and wear long pants and sturdy shoes. For more information about the day's planned events, call park ranger Charlotte Litster at (541) 937-2131.
Across the nation, the Corps manages nearly 12 million acres of public land, including 4 million acres of waterways and reservoirs. The National Environmental Education and Training Foundation and its nine federal partners, including the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, coordinates NPLD to demonstrate shared stewardship and to provide environmental education about our nation's natural resources, including parks, forests, refuges, lakeshores, grasslands and historic sites.