National Public Lands Day

National Public Lands Day is just around the corner, and you might be wondering what it all means. National Public Lands Day happens on the fourth Saturday of September each year. It's a day when people volunteer in public parks, forests, waterways, and more to restore our public lands.

Erosion Control in Public Parks and Forests

Keeping our public lands beautiful has far reaching effects for our future. Public parks and national forest revitalization, erosion control, wetland restoration, and estuary rejuvenation. These places are national treasures. They add beauty to our nation and community and make our world a better place to live. There are studies that even suggest people would be healthier if they spent more time in nature. National Public Lands Day aims to raise interest in taking care of our public parks.

What Will People Do During National Public Lands Day?

Restore hiking trails from erosion damage, fixing paths, planting trees, and cleaning up trash are just some of the things people will do. If you don't know where to start, consider some of the easy things you can do with your local Parks and Recreation Department. Making our community a more attractive place should be something we all take part in. It's not hard to get involved in any way you are able.

What Can You Do on National Public Lands Day?

Things everyone can do:

• Visit a national park
• Take part in a volunteer project
• Go outside
• Spread awareness online

Last year's event saw almost 200,000 people in attendance at public parks and national sites, doing volunteer work and enjoying the outdoors. These volunteers went out to 2,500 different sites for National Public Lands Day to restore and enhance public parks and forests. Parks and Recreation Departments across the nation are looking to control erosion on trails and slopes in order to protect the public. Working with them in forests and parks is one way to take ownership of your community.

Public Parks Need Erosion Control Logs

Deforestation and loss of soil from erosion greatly affects the livelihoods of animals, people, and ecosystems. Forests in particular have been known to reduce stress, boost immune systems, and encourage focus. Erosion control logs can provide a solution for stabilizing soil.

Erosion control logs help with:

• Hillside stabilization
• Wetland restoration
• Shoreline rejuvenation

Coir products are biodegradable erosion control solutions that promote revegetation in soil. They've been known to restore hiking and biking trails, and coconut coir logs are adept at building up erosion-damaged hillsides and wetland restoration. In addition to erosion control logs, coir mats and coir wattles also stabilize hillsides that have felt the effect of erosion.

Helpful Erosion Control Products to Use in Public Parks

Other erosion control products such as straw blankets and straw wattles offer filtration and sediment control for national public parks, forests, and protected lands. Straw erosion control products are economically friendly and effective.

Erosion control logs can last anywhere from 2 to 5 years, depending on site conditions and water flow, before biodegrading into the environment. The biodegradable characteristics lend themselves well to protected environments, nature preserves, wetlands, and shorelines.

To celebrate National Public Lands Day, entrance into most national parks, monuments, recreation areas and other participating federal sites is free. Check your local national parks to see how they're participating. Visit the National Environmental Education Foundation's website to see an interactive map of what parks have volunteer activities.

National Public Lands Day takeaways:

• Check the interactive map
• Join an event
• Help with erosion control
• Make a difference

Do you need erosion control logs? Or have questions about how they can better protect our public lands and national parks? Give us a call at 863-261-8388 or contact us here.