Volunteers clean up around Tombigbee National Forest

ACKERMAN, Miss. (WCBI) – Saturday is National Public Lands Day.

The National Environmental Education Foundation said it’s the largest single-day volunteer effort for America’s public lands.

Every year, thousands of people participate in National Public Lands Day, and people in Mississippi are no exception.

“Noxubee County Wildlife Refuge is also doing an event today, and there’s other national forests and wildlife refuges across the country,” said coordinator Gregg Slezak.

At the Tombigbee National Forest in Ackerman, foresters have been planning the cleanup effort for weeks.

“I had a… posted on Facebook, and we also talked with Mississippi State University. Most of the students here today are from the college and are forestry majors or wildlife,” said Slezak.

Volunteers took time out of their weekend to come and help collect trash throughout the nature reserve.

“I’m volunteering here. First of all, there’s nothing better to do this weekend. Second of all, it’s usually a very pleasant thing to do. You get to hang out with your friends,” volunteer Henry Zeringue.

“National Public Lands Day is pretty close to my heart,” said volunteer Will Kruckeberg.

Organizers and volunteers said this project is a great way to help spread public awareness.

“It’s caring for federal lands and It’s everyone’s property, and everyone should be out here to join it. It’s a good way to expose the National Forest and what we do out here,” said Slezak.

“These are our public lands, and a lot of people get a lot of use out of them. From hunting to going out with family and having a picnic, or going out and exploring the woods. So, there’s a lot of land out here for everyone to use, and it’s our duty to give back. Also when you come and volunteer for this kind of thing, it opens your eyes all things you could do out in the woods,” said Kruckeberg.

“It definitely helps remind us that cleaning the forest is important,” said Zeringue.

Foresters said they hope today will inspire more people to come and volunteer.

“I encourage people to do it all year. I’m in the process of making it so we have more of these days throughout the year, and we’ll be working in the rec areas and on roads and doing cleanup projects and maybe some forestry projects as well,” said Slezak.

For more information on how you can get involved with the Tombigbee National Forest, click here.