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Barbara Heidemann, San Fernando Valley Audubon Society volunteer walk leader, leads a nature/bird walk during a National Public Lands Day event Sept. 28 at Sepulveda Basin in Los Angeles. The theme for National Public Lands Day 2024 was “Together for Tomorrow.” (Photo by Areca T. Wilson, U.S. Army Corp of Engineers Los Angeles District Public Affairs)
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Wildlife is spotted during a National Public Lands Day event Sept. 28 at Sepulveda Basin in Los Angeles. During National Public Lands Day, 40 volunteers turned out, which resulted in 160 volunteer hours donated and $5,358.40 in savings. (Photo by Areca T. Wilson, U.S. Army Corp of Engineers Los Angeles District Public Affairs)
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Volunteers remove invasive black mustard plants during a National Public Lands Day event Sept. 28 at Sepulveda Basin in Los Angeles, California. During the dry season, the plant becomes very flammable and can cause fires. (Photo by Areca T. Wilson, U.S. Army Corp of Engineers Los Angeles District Public Affairs)
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Volunteers pick up litter during a National Public Lands Day event Sept. 28 at Sepulveda Basin in Los Angeles. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Los Angeles District, in partnership with the Friends of the Los Angeles River, hosted a National Public Lands Day clean-up event. (Photo by Areca T. Wilson, U.S. Army Corp of Engineers Los Angeles District Public Affairs)
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Volunteers gather during a National Public Lands Day event Sept. 28 at Sepulveda Basin in Los Angeles. During the event, in further collaboration with the California Native Plant Society and the San Fernando Valley Audubon Society, volunteers created seed balls to encourage re-growth of native vegetation, picked up litter and participated in a nature/bird walk. (Photo by Areca T. Wilson, U.S. Army Corp of Engineers Los Angeles District Public Affairs)
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Volunteers attend a National Public Lands Day event Sept. 28 at Sepulveda Basin in Los Angeles. According to the National Environmental Education Foundation, which organizes the event, “National Public Lands Day is the nation's largest single-day volunteer effort for public lands.” (Photo by Areca T. Wilson, U.S. Army Corp of Engineers Los Angeles District Public Affairs)
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LOS ANGELES — The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Los Angeles District, in partnership with the Friends of the Los Angeles River, or FoLAR, hosted a National Public Lands Day clean-up event Sept. 28 at the Sepulveda Basin.
National Public Lands Day's 2024 theme was "Together for Tomorrow."
"Today, we're here to give back to the land; however, we're also here to celebrate our green spaces and the privilege we have to enjoy them," said U.S. Army Maj. David Paxton, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Los Angeles District project manager, during his opening remarks. "The purpose of this joint event is not just to celebrate our public lands and their many uses, but also to inspire environmental stewardship."
According to the National Environmental Education Foundation, which organizes the event, "National Public Lands Day is the nation's largest single-day volunteer effort for public lands."
During the event, in further collaboration with the California Native Plant Society and the San Fernando Valley Audubon Society, volunteers created seed balls to encourage the re-growth of native vegetation, picked up litter and participated in a nature/bird walk. They also removed black mustard, which is a non-native, invasive plant. The plant becomes very flammable during the dry season and can cause fires. When flowering, these plants also drop seeds that further their spread and do not support the local wildlife.
"FoLAR partners with the California Native Plant Society and the San Fernando Valley Audubon Society on this big restoration event called Habitat Restoration and we usually do two hours of restoration work," said Kevin Jauregui, FoLAR Education and Community Programs senior manager. "[This collaboration was] perfect because [the Corps'] event is the fourth Saturday of September, and we do this every 4th Saturday of the month."
The event was open to the public. Forty volunteers turned out, which resulted in 160 volunteer hours donated and $5,358.40 in savings.
"Today was absolutely a success —we would've liked to have seen more numbers, but the folks that came here today have been absolutely phenomenal and they have done some great work," said Nicolas Figueroa, USACE LA District park ranger. "We are expecting to have picked up a couple thousand pounds of litter and vegetation."
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