Enjoy National Parks in Washington for Free Saturday, Sept. 24, and Chip in to Help Beautify Public Lands

A number of Seattle-area public spaces will get some special attention from volunteers on Saturday, Sept. 24.

More than 180,000 volunteers are expected at more than 2,000 sites across the country on Saturday to take part in National Public Lands Day (NPLD), the largest single-day volunteer effort for public lands in the United States.

As an added benefit for all of us, entrance to 100 national parks around the country will be free tomorrow as well. The fee waiver includes: entrance fees, commercial tour fees, and transportation entrance fees. In Washington, the participating parks are:

Fort Vancouver National Historic Site
Lewis & Clark National Historical Park
Mount Rainier National Park
Olympic National Park
Whitman Mission National Historic Site

As part of National Public Lands Day, volunteers in every state will visit their favorite parks, beaches, wildlife preserves, or forests and chip in to help improve these treasured places that belong to all Americans. They will improve and restore the lands and facilities that Americans use for recreation, education, exercise and just plain enjoyment.

As part of this annual celebration of public lands, NPLD is supporting the first lady's Let’s Move Outside initiative as it engages families and youth to get outdoors and be active through hands-on fun activities. Research shows that being active outdoors is one step to reducing childhood obesity, diabetes and other health conditions, as well as reducing blood pressure and stress in adults.

The following Seattle-area locations have work parties scheduled:

West Duwamish Greenbelt

14th Ave. SW and SW Holly St., Seattle

Work Projects

• Pull invasive species such as Himalayan blackberry, English ivy and Scotch broom. Mulch previously-planted areas

Lake Fenwick Park

25828 Lake Fenwick Road Kent

Work Projects

• Remove invasive English ivy and Himalayan blackberry from the north trail through to the middle entrance. Parking is available at the middle entrance.

Tiger Mountain Summit

Highway 18

Work Projects

1. Construct trails, including digging, clearing debris, and benching in a trail with hand tools. Bring work gloves and wear boots and long pants. A BBQ lunch follows the work party. Directions to trailhead: From Seattle take I-90 east to Hwy 18. Continue south on Hwy 18 for 4.4 miles, until you reach Tiger Summit on your right.

Information on these or other projects in the state of Washington are available athttp://www.publiclandsday.org/. More information on U.S. National Park fee-free day can be found at the National Park Service website.