Saturday is National Public Lands Day, and Oregonians have dozens of opportunities to volunteer.
Cheyne Rossbach, Assistant Field Manager with the Bureau of Land Management’s Roseburg District, said it’s a great way to give back.
“A lot of times, folks don’t fully realize the amount of work that has to go into just maintaining some of these sites and keeping them open," he told KLCC. "Volunteers are instrumental in that. Without volunteers, we’d continue to fall behind.”
Rossbach said he helped organize an early Public Lands Day event. On Sept. 20, there was a trail maintenance work day at Susan Creek Falls off Highway 138 east of Roseburg. He said the paths were heavily impacted from the 2020 Archie Creek fire, and volunteers helped remove debris and continue to restore the trail to its former condition.
Among the many regional events on Sept. 27:
In Eugene, there’s a cleanup at the Stewart Pond disc golf course.
South of Florence at Siltcoos Beach, volunteers can help clear marine debris from Snowy Plover habitat. Julia Johanos, the interpretive specialist with the Siuslaw National Forest said it's a unique opportunity to visit the beach where the threatened birds nest, and help clean up plastics and other trash. She said nesting season ended Sept. 15, so they use this window of time to make the environment safer for the birds.
Volunteers can help clean up the dunes at the Oregon Dunes day use area.
There's a cleanup at Cottage Grove Lake Park.
Other events are listed at the Oregon BLM website or on the website for the organization that runs Public Lands Day, the National Environmental Education Foundation.
Gloves and other equipment are generally provided. Many organizers prefer that people register before showing up.
Admission at Crater Lake National Park is free on Saturday, and parking fees are waived at Forest Service trailheads.
