On September 28th, over 100,000 volunteers will gather across the country to participate in service projects on public lands. From trail maintenance at National Parks to local greenway clean-ups (more on that below), the projects are all aimed at providing people with the “opportunity to care for our public lands while spending time with family and friends and taking advantage of all the benefits that come from spending time outdoors.”
Luckily for New Yorkers, there are a few different projects both within the five boroughs and nearby. So grab a friend and sign-up to volunteer for National Public Lands Day this weekend.
1. Shoreline and Greenway Clean-up at Plumb Beach
by GK, tramrunner229, CCSpend your morning at the beach with this 2-hour clean-up at Plumb Beach in Brooklyn. Led by the Jamaica Bay-Rockaway Parks Conservancy, this service project asks volunteers to help pick up debris and repair a fence in the area. The long term goal is to help maintain the beach habitat to support its various wildlife (including the famed horseshoe crabs.)
Time: 9:00-11:00AM
Get there: Bike ride or take the B44-SBS which has pick-up spots throughout Brooklyn.
2. Shoreline Cleanup at Marine Park
by Tdorante10 [CC3. Trail Maintenance and Invasive Plant Removal at Weir Farm
by Ser Amantio di Nicolao [CC
Sarah Knapp is a Brooklyn based entrepreneur whose love for the outdoors and community building led her to the October 2013 creation of OutdoorFest. She has a BA in History, is a Wilderness First Responder and a NY state hiking, camp and boating guide. Her proudest achievement to date is reading the Aeneid in Latin. 
Allison was one of our first top writers and Chief Editor but is no longer working with offMetro. Allison is a native New Yorker, who has lived in Rome, Tuscany, Melbourne, Toronto and Los Angeles. She frequently contributed travel pieces to Family Travel Forum, using her own children as guinea pigs as they travel the globe. She never missed a chance to sample local delicacies, as her love for travel goes hand-in-hand with her love for food and wine. 
Josh Laskin is a freelance travel writer and photographer based in the White Mountains of New Hampshire. When he is not at work or on the road, you can find him in the mountains snowboarding, climbing, hiking, fly fishing, mountain biking, and eating bagel bites.
Annie is a travel writer, environmentalist, and surfer based in Venice, CA. She heads up our West Coast team, keeps our grammatical errors in check, and makes sure our California writers always have a plan for their next adventure. Follow Annie’s travels @annelisemcb.
Carly Pifer is a freelance writer who has been known to follow whims inspired by romantic movie scenes or colorful street style shots to India, Japan, Tunisia and Argentina. After stints living in Seoul, Boston, Paris and Los Angeles, writing and searching for something intangible, she landed somewhat steadily in Brooklyn and has begun to find inspiration in her more immediate surroundings. 
Kate E. O’Hara is a New York based freelance writer and photographer who loves all things food—especially the people who make it and market it. Her writing aims to capture the essence of the food experience; the stories that go well beyond a plate of ingredients. In addition to her love of food, Kate is also known to have a hankering for red wine and craft beer. You can also find Kate on Instagram