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Fairfax County Park Authority graphic of National Public Lands Day

National Public Lands Day – Volunteer at a Fairfax County Park!

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Photo: Fairfax County Park Authority

Since 1994, National Public Lands Day (September 27, 2025) has mobilized volunteers of all ages to engage in a celebration of service and stewardship of America’s public lands. The event is the largest single-day national volunteer effort to preserve, restore, improve and enjoy America’s public lands.

The Fairfax County Park Authority invites you to help celebrate National Public Lands Day by taking part in any of a wide selection of service activities to protect the natural, cultural and recreational resources of the county’s treasured park system. There are a number of locations where you can sign up to help on September 27, ranging from trash cleanup to invasive plant removal.

To learn more, please visit the county’s page on National Public Lands Day or see below.

Who can participate? Anyone 8 and older

For specific park, time and activity, please see below. Each sign-up link provides further details about each location’s activities, including a site contact. You can also look up each activity through the Volunteer Fairfax site.

Location Volunteer Activity Date Time Check-in location VMS Sign-Up
Wakefield Trash cleanup, 20 volunteers Sept 27 9 – 11 a.m. Map Sign Up
Difficult Run SVP Trash cleanup and trimming overgrowth along trail, 10 volunteers Sept 27 9 – 11 a.m. Map Sign Up
Huntley Meadows Park Watershed Cleanup Sept 27 9 – 11 a.m. Map Sign Up
Colvin Run Mill Park Invasive pull Sept 27 10 a.m. – 12 p.m. Map Sign Up
Hidden Oaks Invasive pull Sept 27 9 – 11 a.m. Map Sign Up
Laurel Hill Park Removal of vegetation obscuring rail box car feature along Gerry Connolly Cross County Trail (GCCCT) Sept 27 10 a.m. – 12 p.m. Map Sign Up
Oakmont Park Invasive Management Area (IMA) site leader will host a Helping Our Lands Heal (HOLH) restoration project Sept 27 10 a.m. – 12 p.m. Map Sign Up
Twin Lakes GC Invasive Management Area (IMA) workday Sept 27 9 – 11 a.m. Map Sign Up
Sully Historic Site Trail work, garden clean up & grounds clean up Sept 27 9 a.m. – 1 p.m. Map Sign Up
Eakin Community Park Invasive Management Area (IMA) workday Sept 27 9 a.m. – 12 p.m. Map Sign Up

 

Spring Cleaning 🌳 Volunteer for a Watershed Cleanup! (April and May Dates)

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A celebration of 10 years of the Fairfax County Spring Watershed Cleanup in partnership with The Nature Conservancy and Fairfax County Park Authority. It is time to come together with your community and neighbors to remove trash from your local waterways. Be a part of the solution—volunteers have removed nearly 30 tons of trash over the last decade through this spring cleanup!

Will you be one of the 400 people we need to pick up trash? Get your friends, family, colleagues, and groups involved.

Registration for the 2025 cleanups is open.

Event capacity is limited. Please follow instructions about registering in groups in the detail section of the registration pages. You can view a list of all park locations, dates, times, and number of volunteers needed here and below.

Saturday, April 19

  • Register: Merrybrook Run Stream Valley Park—9-11 a.m.
  • Register: John Byers Park—9-11 a.m.

Saturday, April 26

  • Register: Cub Run Stream Valley (Flint Lee Road)—9-11:30 a.m.

Saturday, May 3

  • Register: Lake Fairfax Park—10 a.m.-noon

Saturday, May 10

  • Register: Franconia Rec Center—9-11:30 a.m.

A confirmation email with additional details will be sent to registered volunteers about 3-5 days before the scheduled cleanup. If you have questions between now and then, please let me know. If the sites reach capacity, we encourage you join the waitlist and find additional opportunities to volunteer and connect with nature at:

Many thanks in advance for your help. We hope to see you there!
Happy cleaning,
Brynna

Brynna Strand
(she/her/hers)
Volunteer Coordinator
brynna.strand@tnc.org

+1 540 255 5717 (Mobile)
nature.org

 

The Nature Conservancy In Virginia
652 Peter Jefferson Pkwy
Ste 190
Charlottesville VA, 22911 U.S.A.

Do Your Part! Sign Up for a Watershed Cleanup Day

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Photo: Fairfax County Park Authority

Grab a bag and go on a trash scavenger hunt as the Fairfax County Park Authority hosts Watershed Cleanup Days once again this fall.

Join with family, friends, neighbors or colleagues to lend a hand to the Earth. We need your help to remove tires, bottles, cans and other debris from local waterways. Helping to clear the Earth’s vital arteries is a great community volunteer project for service groups and students. All ages are welcome.

Cleanup events kick off on Sunday, Sept. 18, 2022, at Lake Fairfax Park from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. and runs throughout October at a variety of Fairfax County locations. The sites include:

  • Sunday, Sept. 18, 2022 at Lake Fairfax Park from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.
  • Saturday, Sept. 24, 2022 at Ellanor C. Lawrence Park from 9 to 11 a.m.
  • Saturday, Oct. 1, 2022 at Oak Marr Rec Center from 9:30 to 11 a.m.
  • Sunday, Oct. 9, 2022 at Lake Accotink Park from 9 to 11 a.m.
  • Saturday, Oct. 15, 2022 at Scott’s Run Nature Preserve from 8:30 to 10:30 a.m.
  • Thursday, Oct. 20, 2022 at Providence Rec Center from 9:30 to 11:30 a.m.

Additional sites may still be added. For a complete listing and to sign up as an individual volunteer, visit the Volunteer in Parks webpage. Groups, please call the site of your choice directly.

For general information, contact the Public Information Office at 703-324-8700 or via email at parkmail@fairfaxcounty.gov.