NPLD 2020 Virtual Signature Event

For the past 26 years, hundreds of thousands of volunteers across the US have donated their time to help restore and improve America’s public lands on National Public Lands Day (NPLD)—the nation’s largest single-day volunteer event for public lands. And while NPLD may look a bit different this year due to COVID-19 guidelines, nature lovers will still have a chance to celebrate public lands in new and exciting ways.

With this in mind, the National Environmental Education Foundation (NEEF), Toyota, and Corazón Latino invite the public to join them on Facebook LIVE for the NPLD Virtual Signature Event on Saturday, September 26 at 10 a.m. EDT, for a virtual, musical tour through select public lands sites across the country, as well as educational events and other online activities.

The NPLD 2020 Virtual Signature Event will feature a number of guest speakers, including Meri-Margaret Deoudes, CEO of the National Environmental Education Foundation (NEEF), Kevin Butt, senior director of Environmental Sustainability at Toyota, and Scott Foss, Senior Paleontologist with the US Department of the Interior, Bureau of Land Management (BLM).

In addition, this online event will showcase a “virtual road trip,” presented by Corazón Latino, with musical performances from local artists at some of America’s most scenic public lands sites, including Joshua Tree National Park, Carson National Forest, Waimea Canyon State Park, and Kenilworth Aquatic Gardens in Washington, DC.

The NPLD 2020 Virtual Signature Event will be live broadcast on NEEF’s NPLD Facebook page at 10 a.m. EDT on Saturday, September 26. Performances will be in both English and Spanish. The event is free and open to the public.

The full list of musical performances for the 45-minute virtual event is as follows:

>> We the Folk and Lele Rose, Joshua Tree National Park, California
>> Banda 45, Carson National Forest, New Mexico
>> Tren de la Salsa, Mount Tom State Park, Connecticut
>> Cherry Blossoms String Quartet and Michael Bard, Kenilworth Aquatic Gardens, Washington, DC
>> Mariachi Tesoro de Tucson, Saguaro National Park, Arizona
>> Kawika Kahiapo, Waimea Canyon State Park, Hawaii
>> John Hoover, Eagle Landing Park, Washington

After the show, sites featured in the Signature Event will host virtual environmental education and conservation events covering topics such as health and wellness, career opportunities in conservation, and diversity and inclusion in the outdoors. More information and access these events will be available on NEEF’s website.