Contact: See below

SANTA FE, NM – New Mexicans from all over the state will get down and dirty on Saturday, September 29, 2007, to keep America beautiful as they join the largest annual coast-to-coast, single-day volunteer restoration effort for America’s public lands.

BLM activities for the14th annual National Public Lands Day (NPLD) in New Mexico include:

Angel Peak Scenic Nature Trail – Trail maintenance and general cleanup of the area, about 30 miles southeast of Farmington.
Contact: Richard Simmons, (505) 599-6345 BLM Farmington Field Office

Fuente de Vida Riparian Restoration Project – Constructing erosion control gabion baskets and developing a spring about 30 miles east of Socorro.
Contact: Carlos Madril, (505) 835-0412 BLM Socorro Field Office

Kasha-Katuwe Tent Rocks National Monument - Developing a new trail on the Veterans Overlook Loop. Contact: Danny Randall, (505) 761-8953 BLM Albuquerque District Office

Rio Bonito Acquired Lands – Planting of apple orchards and installing a gate near the borders of Lincoln, NM. Contact: Bill Murry, (505) 627-0220 BLM Roswell Field Office

Tortugas Mountain – On October 13, volunteers will perform trail maintenance, put up signs and clean up the area, on the east side of Las Cruces.  Contact: Oz Gomez, (505) 525-4336, BLM Las Cruces District Office.

Valley of Fire Recreation Area – Painting handicap railings on the Malpais, just west of Carrizozo.
Contact: Albert Najar, (505) 648-2241 BLM Roswell Field Office

West Amarillo Creek – Cutting salt cedar along the creek in preparation of willow and cottonwood plantings.
Contact: Paul W. Tanner, (806) 356-1008  BLM Amarillo Field Office

Fiestas de La Joya – This event will take place on October 6, 2007.  The event is part of Restore New Mexico projects which will include clean up and an oral history project near Velarde Elementary School, just north of Espanola. 
Contact: John Bailey, (505) 751-4703 BLM Taos Field Office

The events give Americans an annual chance to make public lands in their local community safer, attractive, and more desirable. This year’s goal is to exceed the 2006 NPLD numbers of 100,000 volunteers by at least an additional 10,000. The theme for this year’s NPLD is removing invasive species.

For the fourth year in a row, volunteers who work at a site will be rewarded with a pass good for free entry any day during the next year at public land sites managed by the Bureau of Land Management, National Park Service, U.S. Forest Service, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

“Public lands serve all Americans, and National Public Lands Day provides a fun and educational opportunity for Americans to return the favor to those lands and the wildlife they harbor,” states Robb Hampton, Director of National Public Lands Day.

For more information, contact your local BLM office for information about area events or call the toll free number, 1-877-276-9404.

To see a full list of all the statewide events visit www.publiclandsday.org

-BLM-

The National Environmental Education Foundation provides objective environmental information to help Americans live better every day. We work with professionals in health, education, public lands and media to connect the environment to everyday choices and actions so the public can live well while protecting and enjoying nature. Through our signature programs like National Public Lands Day, Environmental Education Week, Earth Gauge and our Pediatric Environmental History Initiative, we offer Americans knowledge to live by. To learn more, call (202) 833-2933 or visit www.neefusa.org.

Toyota's sponsorship of National Public Lands Day is guided by its Global Earth Charter, a comprehensive effort to promote conservation activities and protect the environment in all stages of the company's operation.

National Public Lands Day partners include the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Bureau of Land Management, Bureau of Reclamation, Department of Defense, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, National Park Service, USDA’s Forest Service, the U.S. Invasive Species Council, over 30 states, numerous local agencies, and nonprofit groups such as the National Parks Conservation Association, International Mountain Bicycling Association, Boy Scouts of America, and Girl Scouts of the USA.

Volunteers From All Over New Mexico to Help Out on National Public Lands Day, September 29, 2007