Increasing diversity on public lands has never been more important than it is today. The upcoming generation—the most diverse generation in U.S. history—will determine the future of our nation’s public lands and waters; and if the next generation does not feel connected to public lands, then they won’t appreciate and protect them the way previous generations have. National Public Lands Day provides an excellent opportunity to engage diverse audiences, help them connect to public lands in their community, inspire environmental stewardship, and encourage the use of these special places for education, recreation, and general health.
National Public Lands Day (NPLD) is the nation’s largest, single-day volunteer event for public lands. Every year, NPLD brings together hundreds of thousands of individual, community and organizational volunteers to help restore America’s public lands. These lands encompass national parks, forests, grasslands, lakes, and rivers; as well as state, county, and local urban parks that are managed by public agencies, but belong to and are enjoyed by all of us.
What:
During this webinar, we will offer a series of practical strategies for engaging diverse communities during this year’s National Public Lands Day celebration. We will provide an overview of the resources that have been developed to help engage diverse audiences in this year’s National Public Lands Day celebration, including NEEF’s new Spanish language National Public Lands Day landing page. Attendees will also get the opportunity to hear directly from experienced NPLD event managers that have been successful in engaging diverse communities in National Public Lands Day events.
Speakers:
- Tony Richardson, Program Officer, Public Lands Engagement, The National Environmental Education Foundation
- Robert Garcia, Founding Director and Counsel, The City Project
- Irene Vilar, Founder, Americas for Conservation + the Arts
- Melissa Martinez. Wilderness & Wild and Scenic Rivers Fellow at the US Forest Service
