WASHINGTON (September 22, 2008) – Thousands of local volunteers at more than 100 U.S. Army Corps of Engineers project sites will participate in this year’s 15th annual National Public Lands Day Sept. 27, the largest annual volunteer hands-on restoration activity of its kind. Activities include the clean up, repairs, refurbishments and other volunteer events in parks, forests, rivers, lakes, wetlands, cultural and historic sites and other public lands and waters and involve more than 120,000 volunteers at 1,500 sites nationwide.

Volunteers at Corps of Engineers’ sites will take part in tree planting, erosion control, bank stabilization, building trails, restoring recreation areas, trash pickup, removing invasive species, removing non-native plants, improvements to wildlife habitats, harvesting prairie plant seeds and rehabilitating playgrounds. In addition, the Corps of Engineers’ Director of Civil Works, Steve Stockton will participate in the National Public Lands Day signature event at Prince William Forest Park in Triangle, Va.

National Public Lands Day volunteers at federal sites receive free admission Sept. 27 and a coupon to return for “fee-free” day use activity any time in the next year at any project site managed by the National Park Service, U.S. Forest Service, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and Bureau of Land Management. Many state sites are also offering free admission for the day.

As part of this year’s National Public Lands Day, participants will commemorate the 75th anniversary of the Civilian Conservation Corps. Famous for planting more than three billion trees in the 1930s, the Civilian Conservation Corps played a leading role in restoring America’s deteriorating forests.

In addition, this year’s National Public Lands Day kicks-off an interagency pledge of cooperation among the eight federal land management agencies to promote the new “Get Outdoors-It’s Yours” national campaign. This national initiative will raise awareness of the opportunities for America’s youth to reengage with nature and to encourage children and their families to spend more time participating in outdoor education, recreation and stewardship activities.

Last year, National Public Lands Day involved 110,000 volunteers at 1,300 sites. Volunteers removed more than 500,000 pounds of trash, built and maintained 720 miles of trails, and planted 55,000 trees among many other tasks. National Public Lands Day partners include federal agencies, National Environmental Education Foundation and other nonprofit groups, 125 state, county and city agencies, and several corporate sponsors.

The Corps has been involved with National Public Lands Day since its inception in 1994 and has consistently been one of the largest providers of sites and volunteers participating in the event. The Corps of Engineers is the number one federal provider of outdoor recreation, managing more than 12 million acres of land and water for natural resources and public recreation benefits. The Corps’ 2,476 recreation sites at 423 projects offer a wide range of opportunities and facilities for outdoor recreation.