As the nation's largest single-day volunteer event for public lands, NEEF's National Public Lands Day (NPLD) brings together volunteers across the country who want to protect and beautify our green spaces and waterways. In 2020, however, the COVID-19 pandemic meant that NPLD, held that year on September 26, looked very different. Many public land sites shifted to virtual events, hosted modified in-person events in accordance with local COVID-19 rules and regulations, or took a hybrid approach. 

Case in point: In 2019, at Carters Lake, a US Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) site in Chatsworth, Georgia, over 100 volunteers spread two dump truck loads of mulch, pulled weeds, and cleaned up three miles of shoreline. For NPLD 2020, Carters Lake hoped to capture the same spirit of the day by offering a hybrid of mainly virtual NPLD events with some in-person options for people who wanted to come out on their own to enjoy public lands. 

The goal is to provide people with a connection to their public lands, and hopefully teach them something.

Thomas Backwinkel, USACE Park Ranger at Carters Lake

At the time, USACE Park Ranger Thomas Backwinkel said the goal remained much the same despite the unusual circumstances. “The goal is to provide people with a connection to their public lands, and hopefully teach them something.” Thomas Backwinkel, USACE Park Ranger at Carters Lake.

 NPLD 2020 at Carters Lake included a mix of pre-recorded videos and livestream events aimed at strengthening volunteers' connection to public lands while offering opportunities to learn and explore. The pre-recorded videos were similar to the Carters Lake summer learning series led by Park Ranger George McBroom. This video series included talks from various experts, science-based education presentations, special in-person events like Astronomy Night, and interpretive hikes. 

Faced with limits on traditional in-person activities, the Carters Lake team chose to adapt. “This year, it's not possible to do in-person activities, so we decided, ‘either don't do anything or get creative,’” Backwinkel said at the time. 

For the livestream events, Carters Lake featured a ranger out in the park talking about the conservation and environmental activities staff were doing on-site. Attendees were also able to ask questions and share their own activities through online discussions or photos. 

Backwinkel also described how the team planned to give people options for participating safely on their own. 

“We'll post some interpretive videos on Facebook and suggest two to three activities that people can come out to do in person if they want to celebrate public lands in a safe, socially distant manner,” he said. 

Carters Lake’s approach offered an example of how NPLD organizers adapted during the pandemic while continuing to help people celebrate and connect with America’s public lands. Virtual events also opened new ways for people to experience public lands beyond their geographic location, from local parks to national forests, marine estuaries, and other special places across the country.

^{Originally published: September 2019 • Updated}