WASHINGTON – The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) announced today that it will waive day-use fees at its more than 2,400 USACE-operated recreation areas nationwide in recognition of National Public Lands Day, Sept. 29. On this day, fees normally charged at boat launch ramps and swimming beaches will be waived. USACE does not charge entrance fees to its parks.
The waiver does not apply to camping and camping-related services, or fees for specialized facilities such as group picnic shelters. Other agencies and partners that manage recreation areas located on USACE lands are encouraged but not required to comply with this waiver of day-use fees in the areas they manage.
In addition, volunteers who participate in one of USACE’s National Public Lands Day activities will be issued a fee-free coupon if the volunteer site is participating in the coupon program. Volunteers should check with the local USACE event manager for more information. The fee-free coupon is valid for one year from date of issue and may be used for one day of entrance or day-use fees at any participating federal agency park, forest or recreation area that charges either of these types of fees. For more information on the fee-free day and coupons visit http://www.publiclandsday.org/highlights/fee-free-day-and-coupons.
Thousands of local volunteers are expected to support the more than 110 USACE sites participating in this year’s 19th annual National Public Lands Day, the largest annual volunteer hands-on restoration activity of its kind. Volunteers at USACE sites will take part in tree planting, erosion control, bank stabilization, building trails, restoring recreation areas, trash pickup, removing invasive species and non-native plants, improving wildlife habitats, harvesting prairie plant seeds and rehabilitating playgrounds.
In 2011, more than 12,000 volunteers worked approximately 50,000 hours to remove more than 1,500 tires, clear litter and debris from 1,475 miles of shoreline, build 100 miles of trails, and plant some 1,000 trees and shrubs at USACE-operated sites.
Volunteering in National Public Lands Day is one way to answer President Obama's call to service and play a role in supporting America’s Great Outdoors Initiative, an effort to promote the conservation of outdoor spaces and reconnect Americans to the outdoors.
USACE has been involved with National Public Lands Day since its inception in 1994 and has consistently been one of the event’s largest providers of sites and volunteers. As the nation’s leading federal provider of outdoor and water-based recreation, USACE manages 422 lake and river projects in 43 states. With 90 percent of these projects located within 50 miles of metropolitan areas, USACE sites provide a wide range of safe, affordable outdoor recreation opportunities close to home.
Lake Shelbyville will be holding a National Public Lands Day event at Woods Lake on September 29, 2012 from 9 am to 12 pm. The lake has been drained and the decades of litter that has accumulated on the lake bottom is exposed. Now it can be picked up and disposed of properly. The cleanup will help create a healthy environment for the animals that will live in the lake when it is filled. All tools and supplies will be provided by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Volunteers are encouraged to wear the proper clothing, which includes long pants and hard-soled closed toed shoes or boots. Lunch will be provided to all volunteers at Noon.
If you are interested in volunteering at the Woods Lake event please call the Lake Shelbyville Interpretive Services and Outreach Department at (217) 774-3951 ext. 2 to register for the event.
To locate another National Public Lands Day events near you, visit http://www.publiclandsday.org/. For more information on USACE recreation opportunities visit http://www.CorpsLakes.us.