2012 National Public Lands Day in Panthertown

Saturday, September 29, 2012 is the 19th annual National Public Lands Day, the largest single-day volunteer effort for public lands in the United States.

Locally, Friends of Panthertown has invited volunteers to join them in beautiful Panthertown Valley as the autumn leaves change color for a fun day of trail work and hiking. Volunteers will meet at the Salt Rock entrance to Panthertown at the end of Breedlove Road in Cashiers at 9:30 am and will hike in to prune and maintain nearby trails. Tools and instruction are provided and all ages and skill levels are welcome to participate. Volunteers should bring water, lunch, and wear good shoes. The group will hike 4-5 miles on easy to moderate trails and expect to be done by 2:30 pm.

REI Asheville is a sponsor of the ongoing Panthertown Valley Stewardship Project. All volunteers will receive goodies from REI and everyone in attendance will be entered for a chance to win some great REI hiking and camping gear.

National Public Lands Day also partners with five federal land management agencies to provide a special thank-you to their volunteers. Each volunteer who participates in National Public Lands Day at Bureau of Land Management, National Park Service, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service or U.S. Forest Service public lands will receive a fee-free coupon. All participants during this Panthertown work day will receive free-free coupons to be used anytime in the next year for entrance to any federal public land. A fee-free day is when parks, refuges and rangelands offer free entry for visitors.

For more information call (828) 269-4453 or visit www.panthertown.org

Sign-up to volunteer on September 29
You may RSVP for National Public Lands Day at our Facebook event page.