Volunteers will be out in national parks and forests on Saturday during National Public Lands Day.
Saturday also is a fee-free day when entrance fees will be not be charged for national or state parks.
The Olympic National Park and the Friends of Olympic National Park will host two volunteer events to remove invasive plants and plant native species in the national park’s headquarters district.
National Public Lands Day is the nation’s largest single-day volunteer effort on public lands. Members of the public are invited to join in these projects to take part in this nationwide celebration of public lands and volunteerism.
Volunteers at either event will receive National Public Lands Day passes good for one day of free entrance to participating public lands sites, including national parks.
From 9 a.m. to noon, the Friends of Olympic National Park will lead volunteers in planting native plant species in the areas surrounding the Macy House.
The native plants used in this project come from the National Park Service’s Matt Albright Native Plant Center.
Participants should dress for the weather and bring work gloves. Additional supplies will be provided. There is no cost to participate.
This event will begin at the flagpole in front of the Olympic National Park Headquarters at 600 E. Park Ave., Port Angeles.
Olympic National Park will host a volunteer event to remove invasive plants along the trails and areas surrounding the national park’s visitor center, with rangers leading volunteer groups starting at 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. from the Olympic National Park Visitor Center, 3002 Mount Angeles Road in Port Angeles.
Participants will learn about invasive plants and their disruptive impact on park ecosystems while helping to remove herb-Robert and wall lettuce.
Participants should dress for the weather, bring work gloves, and plan to volunteer for about 90-120 minutes total. Some work gloves are available for use during the event. There is no cost to participate.
The public can direct questions about participating in National Public Lands Day volunteer events to Olympic National Park’s Volunteer and Youth Program, 360-565-3142 or olym_volunteer@nps.gov.
