Forest Preserve Seeks National Trails Day Program Volunteers

The Forest Preserve District of Will County will host cleanup events on Sunday, June 4, along the Old Plank Road and Joliet Junction trails to celebrate National Trails Day weekend.

“This is the second year we are hosting litter cleanup opportunities for National Trails Day,” said Emily Kenny, the Forest Preserve’s volunteer services supervisor. “We have two different times and locations for people to sign up."

The June 4 trail cleanup programs are set for:

• Old Plank Road Trail: noon-2 p.m. Meet at the intersection of Constitution and Schoolhouse roads, just off Old Plank Road Trail. Only a short section of the paved 22-mile trail will be covered. There is a parking lot on Constitution Road, just off Schoolhouse Road.
• Joliet Junction Trail: 3:30-5:30 p.m. Meet on the trail where it crosses Black Road and walk a section removing litter. Participants may park at the Carlson Holmquist-Sayles Funeral Home and Crematory and Life Church Joliet.

The Forest Preserve will provide buckets, grabbers, gloves and bags to use during the event. All ages and abilities are welcome to attend.

To participate in the cleanup events, volunteers must complete a waiver and state which trail or trails they will be cleaning up. Those who participate in the cleanups have a chance of winning buffs donated by Duluth Trading Co.

National Trails Day is, "A day of service for hometown trails and those who love them," according to the American Hiking Society, which organized the first celebration in 1993.

National Trails Day provides an opportunity to join a “nationwide movement to give back to trails and build a world where everyone feels welcome and has access to enjoy the great outdoors,” the group states.

Kenny encouraged trail fans to sign up for one of the volunteer opportunities in an effort to keep the Forest Preserve paths natural and litter-free.

“Unfortunately, litter affects our preserves and trails year-round, so volunteer services hosts litter cleanups each quarter,” she said. “The ‘leave it better than you found it’ mindset is something we all can adhere to whenever we are outdoors. Everyone should be able to experience nature without the distractions of litter.”

While National Trails Day is set for Saturday, June 3, the Forest Preserve District’s volunteer opportunities will be held on Sunday, June 4, to coincide with a Volunteer Morning program that will involve brush control program at Riverview Farmstead Preserve in the morning, Kenny explained.