Volunteers at Greenway Farm and Stringer’s Ridge Preserve will be joining thousands of individuals from all across the country to celebrate National Public Lands Day. This annual event, which has been going strong for 30 years, is dedicated to the care and support of public lands.
Chattanooga Parks and Outdoors, along with their partners, will be providing two opportunities, on Saturday for volunteers to give back to their community. One event will be held at Greenway Farm, while the other will take place at Stringer's Ridge.
Both opportunities will run from 9 a.m.-noon.
At Greenway Farm in Hixson, volunteers are encouraged to join the Park Stewards program, where they'll be working alongside TVA to remove invasive plants, learn about plant identification and participate in a BioBlitz - an event that focuses on finding and identifying as many species as possible in a specific area over a short period of time.
In North Chattanooga, volunteers can join Outdoor Chattanooga, SORBA, Trust for Public Land and more for the 10 year anniversary of Stringer's Ridge Nature Preserve. Participants will meet at the Spears Avenue trailhead and organize into groups for trail maintenance, litter pick up, invasive weed removal and more from 9 a.m.-noon. Following the cleanup, a 10 year celebration will be held at the Spears Avenue trailhead presented by Trust For Public Land. During the presentation, display boards will feature updated plans to enhance the Spears Avenue trailhead, pump track and trail system. The $170,000 in upgrades are provided by the City of Chattanooga and its commitment to the Parks and Outdoors Plan.
These events are free and open to the public, and all ages are welcome to participate. To learn more and to register, visit chattanooga.gov/parks/volunteer or outdoorchattanooga.com.
"Get ready to join your community in celebrating National Public Lands Day and making a
positive impact on your local environment," organizers said.