This year’s National Public Lands Day is Saturday, September 26. The Lopez Island event will be hosted by Odlin County Park and co-hosted by Spencer Spit State Park on the island’s north end from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

The event will be the tenth year National Public Lands Day is celebrated on the island. Planned activities include kayaking, footbridge construction, a beach clean-up, marine invertebrate identification, nature walks, trail projects and all day kid friendly activities including an environmentally focused story time and a scavenger hunt.

“Odlin County Park is glad to be a part of the National Public Lands Day tradition on the San Juan Islands this year.” says David St. George, Park Manager.

National Public Lands Day is a fairly young event, founded only 21 years ago in 1994 but its scope belies its age. Last year 175,000 people participated at 2,132 sites across the country and in Puerto Rico. National Public Lands Day events focus on environmental education and making connections between people and lands as well as improvements to public lands.

At Odlin County Park you will find fun and helpful work projects such as footbridge construction and trail work as well as environmental education activities including marine invertebrate identification, a nature walk and an all-day kids table.

At Spencer Spit State Park you will find kayak rides, Leave No Trace sea kayak instruction and a beach clean-up. The day will conclude at Odlin County Park with snacks and a raffle.

A powerful variety of partners have come together to make National Public Lands Day a celebration to remember this year, including The San Juan County Parks & Fair Department, Spencer Spit State Park, The San Juan Islands National Monument, The San Juan County Land Bank, The Lopez Community Trails Network, The San Juan Nature Institute, Leave No Trace and Wolf Hollow as well as many private community members.

For more information about the day contact BLM Event Coordinator Stacy Bower at 468-3754.