This Land, Your Land

National Public Lands Day is set for September 25 this year, a Saturday, and five parks in North Carolina have official work events planned for volunteers.

National Public Lands Day celebrates service and recreation on public lands while educating volunteers about the effects of climate change on parks. In 2009, 150,000 volunteers built trails and bridges, removed trash and invasive plants, planted trees and restored water resources, the website for National Public Lands Day says.

Great Smoky Mountains National Park will celebrate with two trail work projects - one on the North Carolina side of the park and one on the Tennessee side. The North Carolina project is to improve Smokemont Nature Trail (3/4-mile loop trail) located in Smokemont Campground near Cherokee. The plan is to work from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

If you're interested, contact Trails & Facilities Volunteer Coordinator Christine Hoyer, at 828-497-1949 or Christine_Hoyer@nps.gov by September 17.

Elk Knob State Park in Todd near Boone has trail workdays for construction of a 2-mile summit trail every Saturday beginning at 9 a.m and lasting until 3 p.m. Call the park office at 828-297-7261 to sign up.

The Corps of Engineers is asking for help removing litter from aquatic habitat and shoreline at Jordan Lake. Contact Tom Colson with the Corps at 919-630-2569.

The Nature Conservancy is clearing woody vegetation with hand saws and chainsaws from grassy balds between Carver's Gap and Grassy Ridge along the Appalachian Trail at Roan Mountain. Some hiking will be required to get to the work site. Contact Megan Sutton at 828-350-1431.

Hemlock Bluffs Nature Preserve in Cary will be mulching trails. Contact Joy Logan at 919-387-5980.