Volunteers needed for workday at Mosquito

STAFF REPORT

BAZETTA — The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers at Mosquito Creek Lake will have a workday for volunteers Saturday for National Public Lands Day.

Participants are asked to meet at Lakeview Recreation Area off of state Route 305 at the picnic pavilion to sign in. The workday will run from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Volunteers will be organized into groups and will work on designated projects focusing on trail maintenance and cleanup. Other activities will include removing the old benches at the “watchable wildlife” area and installation of the new benches, cleaning out bird boxes, planting trees, placing a culvert for the owl sanctuary trail and removing old trail markers.

There will be tours of the butterfly garden, wildflower garden, owl sanctuary, osprey platforms and trails during the day.

Call the resource manager’s office at (330) 637-1961 for more information or if interested so that plans can be made accordingly.

Several other Pittsburgh District parks will contribute to the National Public Lands Day goal of reducing pollution run-off, testing for water quality and cleaning up rivers, lakes and wetlands. Other events include trail restoration, litter removal and invasive species removal.

In 2008, more than 120,000 volunteers built trails and bridges, removed trash and planted more than 1.6 million trees to honor the 75th anniversary of the Civilian Conservation Corps. This year’s celebration is expected to make the 16th annual National Public Lands Day the most successful yet, organizers said.

Every 100,000 volunteers who participate in National Public Lands Day represent an additional $1.8 million worth of labor for American lands. The estimated dollar value of volunteer time is $18.77 per hour for 2006, based on data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics and Independent Sector.

National Public Lands Day is organized by the National Education Environmental Foundation, this year in partnership with the Invasive Species Council. Those interested in organizing a project or volunteering should visit www.publiclandsday.org.