Ana Gorla
National Public Lands Day (NPLD) is an annual day celebrating the United States’ public lands by bringing people together at events to help restore and improve public lands across the country. It’s also a day where all National Parks and other federal public lands are fee free, with entrance fees waived. National Environmental Education Foundation (NEEF), a congressionally chartered nonprofit, is the main coordinator of NPLD.
Various Sierra Club chapters arranged events to support people in experiencing, enjoying, and appreciating our amazing public lands in honor of NPLD. Places from Arizona to Minnesota to Puerto Rico have unique natural spaces and community issues. But though the events were organized to spotlight each community’s distinctiveness, all Sierra Club chapters share the same underlying goals of bringing attention to solve the climate crisis, prevent mass extinction, and close the nature equity gap, with that through-line connecting the chapters across thousands of miles of distance.
Stargazing in the Gila Bend
The week before National Public Lands Day was also Latino Conservation Week. The Sierra Club Grand Canyon Chapter held a Spanish-speaking stargazing event near the proposed Great Bend of the Gila National Monument to kick off that week. Participants enjoyed the Painted Rock Petroglyph Campsite and engaged in discussions on the significance of the place, its history, and what the week means to the Arizona Latinx community. The circle talks were followed by food provided by local Gila Bend Carniceria, Mercado de Amigos, and then the stargazing as participants caught glimpses of the moon, Saturn, and evening desert dwellers like scorpions and beetles.
“It was touching to me to lead my first all Spanish speaking outing and reminded me of how providing outings this way not only means a lot to me but we also received a lot of positive feedback from the community members as well. Someone shared how much they love going outdoors but nothing compares to doing so in community,” Ana Gorla, Sierra Club Grand Canyon Chapter’s Energy & Public Lands Coordinator, wrote of the event.
Biking Around Río Piedras
For National Public Lands Day, the Sierra Club Puerto Rico Chapter hosted a free bike ride to connect the community with the history of Puerto Rico’s railroads and highlight ongoing efforts to protect and conserve the Río Piedras. The event was held in collaboration with Guarda Ríos, Por las Aguas and Ruta Borinquen. Bicicoop Bike Cooperative supported the event to ensure all participants had a bike, and just under 30 people participated, including Sierra Club chapter members and student advocates for the Río Piedras. The bike ride incorporated stops at the Río Piedras historic center, arboretum, botanical garden, and Santa Rita neighborhood. The two-hour bike ride explored the urban and ecological history of the city, its transportation and infrastructure, and the impact of the canalization of the river.
“Canalizing or dredging a river kills the waterbody, which is a living system. Canalization is not a forward-thinking plan,” said community leader Antonio Walker during the ride.
Fishing in White Bear Lake
Sierra Club’s North Star Chapter partnered with Fjallraven, Baztec Fishing & Outdoors, Project Healing Waters, Cultural Wellness Center and NoSweat to organize a National Public Lands Day free day of fishing and community building. The event brought together members of the military, veteran, and Black, Indigenous, People of Color (BIPOC) communities to share in a day of outdoor recreation and connection. There were several veterans and their families in attendance, and a special visit by Ben Jealous, Executive Director of Sierra Club, checking out some of the fishing Minnesota has to offer.
"It is great events like this that show Sierra Club is committed to helping communities to connect with the outdoors,” said Sierra Club Executive Director Ben Jealous.
Paddling at Lake Okonoka
Detroit Outdoors organized a community paddling event on National Public Lands Day along the shore of Lake Okonoka in Detroit’s Belle Isle Park. The event was co-hosted with Wilderness Inquiry, Friends of the Detroit River, and other regional partners. The event was opened to everyone, individuals and families alike, and families with fourth graders were able to sign up for their Every Kid Outdoors pass at the event.
Indigenous Wisdom with the Angeles Chapter
Last month was Hispanic Heritage Month, and for the third year, the Angeles Chapter hosted an event for Latino Conservation Week, which is an initiative of the Hispanic Access Foundation. Latino Conservation Week was created to support the Latino community in getting into the outdoors and participating in activities to protect our natural resources.
Chapter volunteers hosted "Somos Semillas - Conservation Through Nuestras Historias," which translates to "We are Seeds - Conservation through our Stories." The event highlighted the importance of Indigenous knowledge and wisdom from our diverse experiences, stories, and connections to our lands. There was also yoga under a large oak tree at Debs Lake and a discussion of the 30x30 efforts to protect our local natural spaces. This short mini-doc video shares words from leaders and participants on why nature and Latino Conservation Week are important to them.
Access Doesn’t End with NPLD
While National Public Lands Day is a great opportunity to spend time outdoors and visit one of our many public lands that normally require entrance fees, it is far from the only opportunity. Many national public lands, including national parks, forests, historic sites, marine sanctuaries and more are open year-round and some of them are fee-free all year as well. Aside from federal public lands, there’s a wealth of state and local outdoor spaces for the public to enjoy.
The next National Parks Service fee-free day will be November 11, on Veterans Day.