Public Lands Day Highlights Conservation, Free Access

Communities across several states marked National Public Lands Day with events stressing conservation, public access and community stewardship of federal and state lands. In Las Vegas, a block party featured Sen. Dina Titus warning that proposals to sell or open public lands to development pose increased threats, and Native Voters Alliance Nevada leaders highlighted the cultural and family importance of those places; Nevada contains about 48 million acres of public land managed largely by the Bureau of Land Management. Glacier National Park and other fee-charging parks offered free admission on Sept. 27, 2025, as part of the long-running National Public Lands Day, which since 1994 has been the nation’s largest single-day volunteer effort with volunteer opportunities listed at volunteer.gov. Bogus Basin in Idaho celebrated with seed-collection efforts, vendor booths and a public-lands policy panel, noting stewardship of 2,904 acres under a U.S. Forest Service special-use permit and partnerships that replant native seedlings. Oregon’s Collier Memorial State Park near Chiloquin continued post-fire restoration work with the Klamath Tribes and volunteers, offering trails, river access and seasonal camping, and an Indiana feature recalled Frank Arena Jr.’s life-size limestone carving of Washington Crossing the Delaware as a local commemoration of national history.