National Public Lands Day Celebration - Sept 24th
Mormon Lake Lodge and the Arizona Trail Association who are the hosts of this event, invite you, your family, and friends out to Mormon Lake on Saturday, September 24 to enjoy a full day of outdoor activities and presentations, a bird walk with Northern Arizona Audubon Society, plant walk with Desert Botanical Garden, trail hikes with the Sierra Club, trail rides for horse owners with the Arizona State Horsemen's Association, trail rides with the Flagstaff Biking Organization, Osprey Day forest clean up with Arizona Game and Fish, Arizona Trail connection work with Arizona Trail Association, and free barbeque lunch for registered participants.
All activities are free, but participants must register at www.aztrail.org or by calling 602.252.4794.
This year, the 12th annual National Public Lands Day will bring together volunteers from community groups and government agencies, in partnerships, working to improve our public lands. Last year this national, one-day event, was the largest volunteer hands-on effort of its kind in the country bringing together 80,000 volunteers who accomplished impressive goals on public lands:
1. 285,000 pounds of trash removed
2. Nearly 400 miles of trails were built or maintained
3. Over 30 bridges were built
4. Nearly 6,000 pounds of invasive plants were pulled and
collected
5. Nearly 35,000 trees and/or plants were installed
Arizona's Public Lands Day Proclamation, signed by Governor Janet Napolitano in 2003, declares that:
Our public lands encompass a variety of unique environments supporting abundant flora and fauna while public land provides the public with a wide variety of locally accessible natural and cultural resources for environmental learning, wildlife appreciation, and recreation. The Civilian Conservation Corps (1933-1944) gave our nation a magnificent legacy of stewardship of our treasured natural resources that is being passed along to successive generations. Shared stewardshiup is an experience inclusive of everyone, public servants, public agencies, and private citizens and organizations, combined. Land conservation, preservation, restoration, and enhancement efforts, builds awareness, cooperation, and alliances, and improves the condition of publicly held lands for the greater enjoyment of all people.