There are many ways to volunteer and give back to the outdoor community. Here are a few opportunities that happen every year.
National Public Lands Day is an annual volunteer program that is designed to gather together thousands of citizens for hands-on volunteer work in restoring and conserving the natural, cultural, and recreational resources of our public lands. National Public Lands Day takes place on the last Saturday of every September. Volunteers across the country will help maintain our public lands so that they will continue to be great places to recreate.
National Trails Day is the largest celebration of America's outdoors. It is organized by the American Hiking Society and is celebrated annually on the first Saturday in June. Each year outdoor enthusiasts get out on our trails to help raise awareness of trail issues and to promote the wide variety of benefits that trails provide. National Trails Day events range from maintenance projects to group hikes to bicycle races to large-scale trail festivals.
Legislation Watch, Action Alerts, and Activism
Stay informed on issues affecting your local National Forests and National Parks and do your part to make your voice heard in protecting our public lands and to ensure that current protections are not weakened. There are many good Conservation and Environmental Organizations that work on specific issues affecting our Wilderness areas, National Forests, and roadless areas that allow you to get involved in their campaigns. You can also sign up to recieve Action Alert email notifications of new or urgent issues. Local activism can make a big difference in protecting our outdoor treasures and is just good stewardship!.
The Outdoor Code As an American, I will do my best to Be clean in my outdoor manners, Be careful with fire, Be considerate in the outdoors, and be conservation-minded.
Definition of Stewardship
Stewardship is an environmental concept of responsible caretaking for our land and associated resources.
Stewardship is an ethical responsibility for mankind to protect and manage plants, animals, and all the parts of our environment and should be guided by the principle of causing the least amount of harm possible. This includes protecting the environment by limiting pollution, through recycling and conservation, and by responsible management of our natural resources.
Stewardship is our responsibility to leave behind healthy environments for future generations.
Stewardship is putting aside selfishness and greed and doing what is right for our natural environment.
Stewardship is also referred to as environmental stewardship or outdoor stewardship.