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I've been a critic of National Public Lands Day for enough years to know that certain of my peers will lambaste me if I say anything derogatory about the appended news release.
And so I won't. I'll simply say that it provides a remarkably clear example of the growing corporate intrusion into every orifice of American society, culture and heritage.
This year, when on September 30th your government permits you one day to visit your public lands without having to pay for the privilege, perhaps you really should head on down to your local Toyota dealership --- as the news release suggests.
Scott
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www.npld.com/media/press_releases/June2006.htm
Media Advisory For Sept. 30, 2006
Contacts: Patricia Charles, 440-506-9564
Peter L. Kelley, 202-270-8831
Annual fall fix-up day set for Sept. 30 in America's parks and other public lands
National Public Lands Day, sponsored by Toyota, expanding to more sites from remote wilderness to inner-city playgrounds
Fee-free admissions offered at many sites, to help recruit 100,000 volunteers with "helping hands for America's lands"
WASHINGTON, D.C., May 2006 - A third of America belongs to the public,
and each September, tens of thousands of us donate the last Saturday in
September to help keep it up on National Public Lands Day.
Organizers announced that this year's event will be held on Sept. 30,
2006. They're looking for more volunteers and site organizers to help
reach 100,000 volunteers at 1,000 sites, and top last year's 800 sites.
This year the program has gained the endorsement of Richard Louv,
author of the bestselling book, "Last Child in the Woods," recently out
in paperback. He writes, "Healing the broken bond between our young and
nature is in our self-interest, not only because aesthetics or justice
demand it, but also because our mental, physical, and spiritual health
depend upon it."
Admission to many federal sites is free on National Public Lands Day --
including land managed by the National Park Service, U.S. Fish and
Wildlife Service, Bureau of Land Management, U.S. Forest Service, and
the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Volunteers who join in the various
service projects at those areas will receive a coupon good for an
additional free admission on another day, to a national park or other
participating area.
The annual fix-up day, sponsored for the eighth straight year by Toyota
Motor Sales USA, Inc., has become the largest volunteer hands-on event
of its kind in the country. Volunteers may help build a footbridge on a
scenic trail, plant seeds of native grasses, test water quality, or
clean up a lake's shoreline. "You get to do something patriotic and you
also get a good workout," said Robb Hampton, Director of National
Public Lands Day, which is a project of the National Environmental
Education and Training Foundation.
Each year the event helps fix up famous locations where Americans hike,
bike, climb, swim, explore, picnic, or just plain relax - such as San
Francisco's Golden Gate Park, one of the most heavily visited urban
parks; the National Monument to the Forefathers in Plymouth, Mass.; and
the Audubon Center at Debs Park in Los Angeles, the first nature center
in California to be built from the ground up to protect the environment.
The experience keeps alive the legacy of the Civilian Conservation
Corps, which enrolled 3 million Americans in fixing up public lands in
the 1930s.
Toyota urges this year's volunteers to carpool from its dealerships to
the parks, monuments, and other historic sites they'll help to
preserve. Toyota will also assist volunteers at selected sites with
fuel-efficient gas/electric hybrid vehicles, including its signature
Prius and the new SUV hybrids, the Highlander Hybrid and Lexus 400h.
The company sponsors the event and encourages its employees to turn out
as an expression of its top-to-bottom environmental commitment.
Those interested in volunteering can find local sites by calling
800-VOL-TEER (800-865-8337), consult materials at their local Toyota
dealer, or go to www.publiclandsday.org. The website offers
downloadable photos and more information for the news media.
Toyota's participation is guided by its Global Earth Charter, a
comprehensive effort to promote conservation activities and protect the
environment in all stages of the company's operation. The Toyota Prius,
rated at 55 mpg by EPA, is the benchmark of gas/electric hybrid
vehicles and is 90 percent cleaner for smog-forming emissions than the
average vehicle. The company is introducing two hybrid SUVs this year
-- the Lexus 400h and the Toyota Highlander Hybrid. Toyota obtained
Gold LEED certification from the U.S. Green Building Council for a new
office complex at its headquarters in Torrance, California.
Besides Toyota, National Public Lands Day sponsors include the U.S.
Army Corps of Engineers, Bureau of Land Management, Bureau of
Reclamation, Department of Defense, Environmental Protection Agency,
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, National Park Service, Tennessee Valley
Authority, and USDA Forest Service. Participants include numerous state
and local agencies, nonprofit groups such as the National Parks
Conservation Association, International Mountain Bicycling Association,
Boy Scouts of America, and Girl Scouts of the USA.
The event is managed by the National Environmental Education &
Training Foundation, chartered by Congress in 1990 as a private
nonprofit organization to develop and support environmental learning
programs to meet social goals and build partnerships among government,
the private sector and non-governmental organizations.
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- Privatization 
