2007 Public Lands Day Events
New Orleans |Oregon | Central Florida | Philadelphia, PA | Albany, NY | Alabama | Maryland | Houston, TX
New Orleans
 In a city that's still struggling to come back to life with basic services like garbage and water, it's easy to forget about the parks and green spaces where we once could picnic and walk quietly and find respite from concrete and cars. In Louisiana, Sierra Club volunteers from around the country flocked to New Orleans for a weekend to help restore some of the green in the region that was lost during Katrina.
The Public Lands Day weekend long event had Sierra Club members working to restore access to Bayou Bienvenue in New Orleans Lower 9th Ward, which is a tranquil swamp bounded by marsh grasses and levees for the Industrial Canal and the Mississippi River-Gulf Outlet. Volunteers also spent a day out at the Pearl River Wildlife Management Area replanting trees that were lost during the storm, and removing out invasive weeds that kill our native plants.
Oregon
 Willamette Park is tucked along the banks of the Willamette River as it winds out of downtown.
To celebrate National Public Lands Day, the Oregon Sierra Club pulled out blackberries, reed canary grass and other invasive species along the riverbank and replace them with native plants. They joined an ongoing river restoration project by a laundry list of people who care about keeping the river healthy, including environmental groups, neighborhood associations and volunteers from the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality.
The Sierra Club also lead a restoration project near Molalla, along a historic trail into the Table Rock wilderness . People generally know that places like Table Rock are unique and need protection. But city-dwellers forget that their neighborhood parks are public treasures, and a legacy, as well. Willamette Park is one of only four remaining natural areas along the Willamette River within city limits that haven't been given over to industry, condos, or other development.
Central Florida
 The Central Florida Inner City Outings Group did a service at the Oakland Nature Preserve in Oakland, FL. Twelve Sierra Club Members, 7 teenagers and 5 adults spent the day removing exotic (non-native) plants near the entrance to the preserve. Jumping in with lopping shears, pruners, and shovels to get rid of plants such as Johnson grass and grape vines. The physical work ranged from gently clipping off seed heads to shovelling out plants by their roots and lopping off small branches.
One girl found a beautiful emerald spider with diamond shapes on its back. They were also impressed by the fact that this is a refuge for gopher tortoises and they got to see some of their burrows.
When asked what they liked most about the project, one girl said "digging with a shovel because it reminded her of when she lived in Mexico and helped out in the garden.
The Executive Director, Tom Rodriguez, did a fine job of explaining how the preserve is different from public parks, how they fought to preserve this land and keep it from development, and the ongoing efforts to return it to its natural ecological community of Longleaf Pine and Turkey Oak forest and wetlands.
Philadelphia, PA
On Saturday, September 22 we ventured into Ridley Creek State Park with two vans full of wiggly, excited children. That Saturday marked the beginning of Wissahickon Charter School's outdoor club trips for the year. The kids couldn't wait to charge into the woods and explore each new turn of the trail. Our 10 kids ranged in age from 9-11 and they all live in urban Philadelphia and it's a real treat for them to get out into natural areas.
Before heading off on our hike we charged our eager group with the task of leaving the park prettier or healthier than we found it. We discussed many ideas relating to how this might happen and settled on picking up any litter we could find. As we hiked we found candy wrappers, old bottles, cans, and even an odd sock or two. The kids delighted in making a difference and even suggested that we do this every trip we take. We've now made a vow that on each outdoor club trip we take this year we'll bring a bag and leave the park a little nicer than we found it.
Albany, NY
 Two events were held to celebrate National Public Lands Day and the inclusion of the Albany Pine Bush in America's Wild Legacy Report. There were 20 participants for fence removal and trail cleanup and bike riders who received tote bags. A bound copy of America's Wild Legacy was presented to Chris Hawver, Executive Director, Albany Pine Bush Commission, by Hudson-Mohawk Group Chair, Pete Sheehan, and Atlantic Chapter Conservation Chair, Susan Lawrence, who both manned a Sierra Club Table at the event.
Alabama
The AL Building Environmental Communities and Hunter-Angler campaigns sponsored a Fishing Retreat, which was a great success! Beautiful weather -- great fishermen leaders -- and great participants. The weekend retreat offered opportunities for fishing... fishing, and more fishing led by Camp McDowell Director and avid fisherman, Mark Johnston (also the husband of AL Chapter Chair, Maggie Johnston). We had 15 participants, 6 of whom were non-Sierran anglers. We had a great speaker on endangered fish and water quality from the Fish and Game Commission, as well as a presentation on the impact of small family farms on rural biodiversity and water quality. The group developed a great spirit of comradery and really enjoyed the locally grown meals at the retreat! The last activity was sitting on the front porch eating locally grown watermelon after a Sunday morning spent fishing.
Maryland
At Indian Head, MD-Sierra Club's Maryland Chapter celebrated National Public Lands Day with a press conference at Mattingly Park on the shore of Mattawoman Creek. Mattawoman Creek, named by the Algonquians "Where one goes pleasantly," is today characterized by Maryland state fisheries biologists as "the best, most productive tributary to the Chesapeake Bay."
Houston, TX
We conducted trail maintenance on 3 miles of the Big Creek Scenic Area Section of the Lone Star Hiking Trail in Sam Houston National Forest.
The Houston Regional Group of the Sierra Club (HSC) conducted trail maintenance on the Lone Star Hiking Trail (LSHT), Big Creek Scenic Area (BCSA) Section, Sam Houston National Forest (SHNF). Members provided 50 hours of volunteer time.
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