Department of the Interior

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
September 23, 2005
CONTACT: Barbara Pollarine,
Valley Forge (610)783-1037
Joan Moody, DOI (202)208-3280
Assistant Secretary Scarlett Will "Lend a Hand" at Valley Forge for National Public Lands Day

VALLEY FORGE, PA - On Saturday, Sept. 24, Assistant Secretary of the Interior Lynn Scarlett will "lend a hand" at Valley Forge National Historic Park for National Public Lands Day as part of one of hundreds of events for volunteers around the nation. She will participate in an opening ceremony renaming the trail and in a work project in the park.

"The theme of this day is 'Helping Hands for America's Lands,'" said Scarlett, "The Department of the Interior and Take Pride in America are proud to be partners with the National Environmental Education and Training Foundation to sponsor National Public Lands Day events in our national parks, wildlife refuges and other public lands."

In 2004, National Public Lands Day attracted nearly 90,000 volunteers who helped maintain trails, removed invasive plants, picked up trash and performed other tasks at parks and other federal areas throughout the country.

"I want to thank the volunteers across the country who are giving their time to these efforts," said Scarlett, who is assistant secretary for policy, management and budget and President Bush's nominee to be deputy secretary of the Interior. "As a Pennsylvania native, I especially appreciate Valley Forge and its wonderful staff and volunteers who help us learn about one of the places that gave birth to our nation."

Take Pride in America® is a national partnership established by the U.S. Department of the Interior that aims to engage, support and recognize volunteers who work to improve our public lands. As part of USA Freedom Corps, Take Pride is dedicated to fostering a culture of service to others.

For more information on National Public Lands Day: www.publiclandsday.org.

For more information on Take Pride in America, visit www.TakePride.gov.

For more information on Valley Forge, visit www.nps.gov/vafo.

 

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