National Public Lands Day
Yosemite, CA — There will be free admission to places like Yosemite National Park and New Melones this Saturday as part of National Public Lands Day.
Yosemite Ranger Scott Gediman says the annual Yosemite Facelift is also underway where visitors come together to pick up litter and debris. It started yesterday and will continue through Sunday. Last year 1,200 Yosemite Facelift volunteers collected over 20,000 pounds of trash and debris. Yosemite reports that approximately 95% of the trash collected was recycled.
The trash collection is done along roadways, the river corridor, trails, near climbing routes, parking lots, camping areas and near lodging facilities. Visitors can sign up in front of the Yosemite Valley Visitors Center between 8am-4pm, today through Sunday.
Gediman reports that a second check-in station will be located at the Tuolumne Meadows Wilderness Center from Friday through Sunday, from 8am-3pm. On Saturday, there will also be a registration booth in Wawona at the Mariposa Lower Grove parking lot from 9am-noon. Crew leaders will be at the booths to organize work groups and hand out trash bags, gloves, and litter sticks. Trash must be returned to the booths each day by 4pm to be weighed and sorted.
This year marks the 20th anniversary of National Public Lands Day, and again there is free admission to national public lands on Saturday.