Calling All "Voluntourists"

National Public Lands Day at Valley Forge National Historical Park is at Forefront of National Trend

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. October 14, 2008

VALLEY FORGE, PA, August 14, 2007. On Saturday, Sept. 29, 2007, an estimated 100,000 volunteers and tourists will help improve the nation's parks, forests, rivers, lakes and wetlands during the 14th annual National Public Lands Day.

Valley Forge National Historical Park, in King of Prussia, is inviting area residents, businesses, corporations, universities and schools to lend a hand and support the Park during the nation's largest hands-on volunteer effort to improve and enhance public lands.

In 2006, more than 320 volunteers planted trees and plants and removed trash and invasive plants from the Park, the site of the Continental Army's encampment during the winter of 1777-78. They also reconstructed the overlook deck, located near Artillery Park, using recyclable lumbers, and repaired roofs on replica soldier huts and the spring house at Washington's Headquarters.

"This year we plan to have one or two projects that will focus on invasive species control, and a planned educational hike, according to Park Volunteer Program Manager, Ernestine White. We are also planning a youth workshop called 'Create your Own Bird Feeder.' Children, with their parents, will create their own bird feeders while learning about birds native to Pennsylvania, their habitats and their diets," said White.

"By volunteering at the Park on National Public Lands Day we hope that volunteers will discover the value and importance of this special place and will continue to stay connected to their National Parks," said Barbara Pollarine, Deputy Superintendent for the Park.

"This special day sends a message to all the Park's visitors and users about what a wonderful - and precious - educational and recreational resource they have at their disposal in America's public lands', said Valley Forge Convention and Visitors Bureau President Paul Decker. "At Valley Forge, with its blend of historical significance, spectacular open space and such diverse recreational opportunity, that message is even more resonant," he added.

Data indicates volunteer tourism is a growing trend. The percentage of travelers planning to volunteer during vacations this year nearly doubled over 2006, to 11 percent, according to a poll by Travelocity travel web site. A recent Travel Industry Association (TIA) survey also showed 24 percent of a representative sample of 1,500 U.S. adults said they were currently interested in taking a volunteer or service-based vacation.

Interest was strongest among travelers between the ages of 35 and 54. More than one in 10 travelers (11 percent) said they were more interested now, than five years ago, in taking a volunteer or service-based vacation. Some 56 percent said they were interested in taking an educational trip.

For more information on how to participate in National Public Lands Day activities at Valley Forge National Historical Park, contact Ernestine White at 610-783-1065 or by e-mail at [email protected]. To see a list of National Public Lands Day sites, activities, contacts and downloadable photos from past events, visit the media center section of www.publiclandsday.org.

About Valley Forge National Historical Park

Valley Forge National Historical Park educates present and future generations of Americans about one of the most defining events in our nation's history by preserving the natural and cultural resources that commemorate the encampment of the Continental Army at Valley Forge in 1777-78. To learn more visit www.nps.gov/vafo.

About Valley Convention and Visitors Bureau

The Valley Forge Convention and Visitors Bureau, Ltd. is a nonprofit, membership-based sales and marketing organization that aggressively promotes the Valley Forge area and Montgomery County as a convention site and leisure visitor destination by encouraging patronage of its 500-plus member hotels, restaurants, attractions and services. The Bureau's web site, www.valleyforge.org, serves visitors, residents, meeting planners and tour operators.

National Public Lands Day began in 1994 with three federal agencies and 700 volunteers. Last year nearly 100,000 volunteers worked in 1,100 locations and in every state. Now, nine federal agencies and many state and local lands participate in this annual day of caring for shared lands. National Public Lands Day keeps the promise of the Civilian Conservation Corps, the "tree army" that worked from 1933-42 to preserve and protect America's natural heritage.