Archived News Release: August 17, 2018 - Ann Arbor residents will volunteer with Natural Area Preservation (NAP) at Oakwoods Nature Area and Arbor Hills Nature Area for the National Day of Service and Remembrance, which marks the anniversary of the 9/11 attacks. Volunteers will participate in natural area stewardship, joining hundreds of thousands of people across the country in this American tradition of service.
Sept. 11 was designated a national day of service by Congress in 2009. This year, many service opportunities will be held on the weekend leading up to Sept. 11 as well. The Corporation for National and Community Service leads the annual event, working with 911Day.org and hundreds of business, nonprofit groups, faith-based organizations and schools nationwide.
Volunteers can take part in two NAP stewardship opportunities on Sunday, Sept. 9:
Oakwoods Nature Area, 9 a.m.–noon — Shakespeare said that one touch with nature makes the whole world kin. We can honor the kin we lost on 9/11 by helping to restore Oakwoods Nature Area. Join NAP to remove invasive shrubs such as buckthorn and honeysuckle so that the wildlife can thrive. Meet at the park entrance off Dunwoodie.
Arbor Hills Nature Area, 1–4 p.m. — The anniversary of the 9/11 attacks has been declared a day of service, for citizens to unite and improve their community. Arbor Hills Nature Area is a small park, but home to an intricate community of wetlands and woods. Come protect this unique area by removing invasive shrubs. Meet at the park entrance off Ashburnham Road.
For these and all NAP stewardship workdays, please wear long pants and closed-toe shoes. All participants must complete a release form; and all minors should be accompanied by a guardian. Tools, snacks and know-how provided. Stewardship workday events are free. No RSVP is necessary for these events, however if you have questions, or if you'd like to volunteer with your group of 10 or more, please contact NAP at 734.794.6627 or [email protected].
NAP works to protect and restore Ann Arbor's natural areas and to foster an environmental ethic among its citizens. This involves conducting plant and animal inventories, ecological monitoring and stewardship projects in Ann Arbor parks. Both staff and volunteers perform these tasks. For more information about NAP, visit www.a2gov.org/NAP.
The Corporation for National and Community Service is the federal agency for service and civic engagement. The agency engages millions of Americans in citizen service through its AmeriCorps, Senior Corps and Volunteer Generation Fund programs, and leads the nation's volunteering and service efforts. For more information, visit NationalService.gov.
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