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A little reason to celebrate

National Public Lands Day

Nature · The fourth Saturday in September

National Public Lands Day turns attention to the parks, forests, trails and shorelines held in common, and to the volunteers who help care for them.

National Public Lands Day falls on Saturday, September 25, 2027. That is 333 days away.

Public lands are the places that belong to everyone: national parks, national forests, wildlife refuges, state parks, and the small city green spaces down the road. This day, held on the fourth Saturday in September, is about visiting those places and lending them a hand.

The usual way to mark it is with work gloves. Volunteers pick up litter along riverbanks, pull invasive plants, repair trail edges and plant native seedlings. A morning of this tends to be quieter than people expect. There is a lot of crouching, some mud, and the satisfying sight of a trail that drains properly after rain.

Others mark it simply by going outside. A walk through a nearby park counts. So does a picnic at a state forest or an hour of birdwatching at a refuge. Late September is a kind season for it in much of the country, with cooler air and the first leaves turning in northern states.

If you join an organized cleanup, bring water, sturdy shoes and a hat. Many groups supply tools and bags, but it helps to check ahead. Leaving a place a little tidier than you found it is the oldest rule of the trail, and it still applies on an ordinary walk.

The United States has public land in nearly every kind of landscape, from desert canyons to coastal marsh, which means most people live closer to some of it than they think.

Ways to celebrate

• Join a local park or trail cleanup.
• Take a walk in the nearest public park or forest.
• Carry a bag and pick up litter on your hike.
• Look up a wildlife refuge or state park near you.
• Learn to identify one native plant on your local trail.

Dates

All national days on September 25

Also on September 25

• National Lobster Day
• National Quesadilla Day
• National Comic Book Day
• National Cooking Day
• National One-Hit Wonder Day
• National Hunting and Fishing Day

Categories: Nature days