National Public Lands Day is Sept. 26, 2026.
Volunteer to help keep our parks in good shape, and visit parks to learn about cultural connections and conservation efforts.
Last year, visitors to the national parks submitted 35,000 comments, reflecting many different ways our national parks are important and intrinsic to our American identity.
“National parks are a living example of conservation in action.”
“National parks are a place to study impacts of climate change.”
“National parks protect sacred Native American sites.”
“National parks preserve the story of America.”
We all enjoy hiking through alpine meadows and desert landscapes or standing on a mountaintop with panoramic views, but what does it take to build and maintain trails, roads and bridges that provide access to wilderness lands, repair damage from winter storms, and keep public safe when they visit?
Clean up is also important, removing debris harmful to wildlife and visitors. This year in Yellowstone, the geology team took out 20,000 pieces of trash, including hats.
It’s the dedicated National Park Service staff and many volunteers who keep our national parks in good shape.
National Public Lands Day
Here’s full list of events.
Glen Canyon National Recreation Area – Arizona
Shoreline Sweep – Community trash cleanup, Lake Powell,
Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park – Georgia
Lookout Mountain Civil War battlefield restoration
Canaveral National Seashore – Florida
Playalinda Beach – Beach walk, learn about how to protect manatees and sea turtles, cleanup and conservation efforts.
Valles Caldera National Preserve – New Mexico
Valles Caldera Fall Fiesta – Sept 25 – 27
Artisan village, cultural demonstrations, eruptions simulations in Volcano Discovery Center, live music, self-guided access to Valle Grande.
Assateague Island National Seashore – Virginia
Clean up the island.
Minute Man National Historical Park – Massachusetts
Remove trash and weeds, trail maintenance, caring for orchards and stone walls, learn about Minute Man history and ecology.
Effigy Mounds National Monument – Iowa
Tag monarch butterflies, find out about prairies and pollinators.
Katahdin Woods and Waters National Monument – Maine
Clean up, and learn about special significance of land and water for Penobscot Nation and Wabanaki people.
Jean Lafitte National Historical Park and Preserve – Louisiana
Prairie Acadian Cultural Center – Downtown Litter Walk
Clean up for downtown Eunice area, and importance to Acadian Culture.
Gulf Islands National Seashore – Mississippi
Davis Bayou cleanup, removing layers of debris, downed branches and trash.
Save our National Parks
Since 2025, billionaire Doug Burgum, Interior Secretary, has helped Trump destroy our national parks.
A visitor’s comment: “I applaud the rangers and park workers, biologists, and scientists striving to make this country’s wilderness beautiful, safe, and healthy. I denounce the Trump administration and Secretary Burgum for their blatant attempts to destroy our environment, whitewash national parks’ history and NOT LISTEN to the majority of the American public.”
Damage to our national parks is ongoing in every possible way –
– 25% of park staff reduced
– 100 million+ Park Service funds diverted to Washington DC Trump projects
– Loss of science research and education programs
– Historical exhibits censured and removed
– National monuments downsized 90% for corporate interests
– Removal of protection for wildlife habitats (e.g. Big Bend)
In the first Trump administration, Dept. of Interior tried to grant oil and gas drilling leases close to Chaco Culture NHP in New Mexico, without a plan to protect the ancient cultural heritage and environment.
Now they’re back, working to remove federal protections to sell oil drilling leases within 10 miles of park boundary. Miles of existing ancient roads, and buried cultural sites (which can be seen with ground penetrating radar) could be destroyed forever.
In Big Bend National Park, Trump is building an expensive border wall through Rio Grande River that separates Texas and Mexico. Already they have bulldozed part of the park. This is a disaster in all regards, destroying the river, wildlife, sacred sites, tourist economy.
Yosemite is a special target for wrecking by the Trump administration.
Last summer Park Service refused to grant day-use reservations to manage crowds to reduce overfull parking lots and trails in Yosemite.
Now a “VIP access” proposal is in the works – private road into Yosemite NP.
Private developer has plans to build boatload of luxury homes next to park boundary, and wants private road to connect with public road into Yosemite Valley.
Dept. of Interior might allow this private road to go through with a “federal land swap,” trading Yosemite park land for some other piece of government land.
Yosemite National Park is public land managed under law by Congress, and is not for sale.
This November, elect Congressional Representatives and Senators who will protect our national parks and all public lands.
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