Good Gun Clean
Up Volunteers Should Stand Tall
Following is a press release from National Public Lands Day organizers, our
volunteers should be proud to have be part of this great event.
The Good Gun Foundation sponsored cleanup events this year included:
• April - approx. 75 volunteers at Table Mesa north of Phoenix
• August - approx. 75 volunteers at Smith & Wesson's hosted event
in Mass.
• Sept 29th - approx. 155 volunteers combined at the GGF Prescott National
Forest cleanup and H&R 1871's event in Mass.
• October- approx. 150 volunteers at Table Mesa north of Phoenix
A sincere thanks and a salute go out to all of the volunteers turning out
for these events.
PRESS
RELEASE
National effort to support public lands has most successful year ever
Presidential Commemoration honors volunteers for work on 14th National Public
Lands Day
WASHINGTON, D.C., November 8, 2007 –The numbers are in, and this year
over 110,000 volunteers from 1,300 sites grabbed pitchforks, shovels and gardening
gloves on September 29 to participate in the 14th annual National Public Lands
Day, making it the most successful clean-up ever.
Every year, thousands of volunteers get together for one day to clean up America
’s parks and other public lands, federal, state, and local. This year
all their efforts resulted in over $12 million worth of labor on National
Public Lands Day, leading President Bush to issue a commemoration for all
those who participated in the coast-to-coast effort to beautify public lands.
“As always, the people who turned out on this National Public Lands
Day showed their patriotism, their love of wildlife, and concern for the environment.
And they’ve made a big contribution to keeping our public lands healthy,
with added support from the President,” said Robb Hampton, Director
of National Public Lands Day. “We’re grateful to all the volunteers
who recognized the need.”
Volunteers donate hours of their time to repair trails, plant trees and remove
trash. This year they focused especially on countering the tide of plant and
animal invaders that take over native wildlife habitats and squeeze out native
species.
Results from National Public Lands Day 2007 include:
• collecting 100,000 pounds in invasive plants,
• removing over 500,000 pounds of trash,
• building and maintaining over 720 miles of trails, and
• planting over 55,000 trees and plants.
Sites ranged from 1 volunteer to 5,000. For example, at one site with 600
volunteers, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers removed a host of unwanted items
at Lake Dardanelle, Ark., including 7,014 gallons of trash, six tires, a couch,
a carpet, two mattresses, a four-foot diameter cable spool, two ice chests,
and a washing machine. Other groups volunteering ranged from Girl Scout troops
to mountain biking clubs.