Refuge to Celebrate National Public Lands Day

On Saturday, Sept. 24 volunteers at Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge will join hundreds of thousands of fellow Americans on public lands across the country to celebrate National Public Lands Day. Participants will be giving back to the lands where we play, learn, exercise, and relax in celebration of the annual National Public Lands Day (NPLD) – the nation’s largest single-day volunteer effort for public lands.

Participants at Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge will celebrate by removing trash from the Refuge and cashing in the trash for prizes. Organizations and individuals will be encouraged to assemble teams for a friendly competition. Prizes will be given for the most trash collected by a team, oddest object collected, most recyclables collected, largest team, and a team spirit award.

The event will begin at 9 a.m. at the Visitor Center or with a Leave No Trace briefing and clean up assignments. We will end at 12 p.m. back at the Visitor Center, teams will weigh in trash and collect prizes. Teams will be treated to a lunch and have an opportunity to hang out and play games.

Individuals and teams are asked to RSVP by Sept. 16 by going to the link https://forms.office.com/g/UhCyfRGzXT. If you have any questions, contact Quinton Smith at quinton_smith@fws.gov.

National Public Lands Day is dedicated to enhancing and restoring America’s public lands for outdoor recreation – a day for giving back to the Refuge and the rich legacy of public land that we all enjoy. The Refuge and the Friends of the Wichitas invite you to us for a morning of hiking and litter pickup along the Refuge trail system, roads, and lake shores.

The mission of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is working with others to conserve, protect and enhance fish, wildlife, plants and their habitats for the continuing benefit of the American people. We are both a leader and trusted partner in fish and wildlife conservation, known for our scientific excellence, stewardship of lands and natural resources, dedicated professionals and commitment to public service. For more information on our work and the people who make it happen, visit www.fws.gov.