New Melones park rangers on National Public Lands Day
Reclamation park rangers celebrated National Public Lands Day September 24, 2022, by restoring trails, and removing trash and invasive plants at New Melones Lake’s Natural Bridges Day Use Area in Sonora, California.
Rangers equipped with garbage bags and trash pickers combed the area. From the parking lot to the streambed of Natural Bridges itself, five bags were filled to the brim with bottles, cigarette butts, food wrappers, and more. An early bird community volunteer met the rangers on the trail and added yet another bag of litter. Meanwhile, more rangers with leather gloves and loppers hacked away at invasive Himalayan blackberry bushes whose thorny vines choked the trail. Once cleared, rangers used the vines to block off a social trail that was causing erosion and devegetation.
New Melones Lake rangers have been organizing projects to commemorate National Public Lands Day since 2006. This year, they joined more than 50,000 volunteers nationwide in improving and restoring America’s public lands.
Well done rangers and thank you to all participants!
