by Matt Konkle
Managing Editor
National Public Lands Day is traditionally the nation’s largest single-day volunteer effort, according to the National Park Service.
It helps celebrate the connection between people and green space in their community, inspires environmental stewardship, and encourages use of open space for education, recreation and health benefits.
And for several volunteers in Connecticut, it offered a way to get out and leave nature better than they found the place.
The group, consisting of off-road enthusiasts from AT4Overland Bound, FF Specialty Vehicles and Varsity Overland, recently utilized a Quadratec 50-for-50 Trail Initiative Grant and spent National Public Lands Day inside Cockaponset State Forest cleaning up land and improving area public roads.
”Keeping our forests and trails clean is paramount in a state that struggles to provide public land access,” said event co-organizer Ken Landry. “Like many New England areas, Connecticut suffers from an increasingly popular trend of trail misuse and inappropriate trash dumping. Patterns such as these affect not only our ability to enjoy wild spaces but also the health of the flora and fauna who call this place home. If we want to see a difference, we need to step up and put in the work.”
The volunteers ended up pulling out 2,655 pounds of trash from the forest over four recreation sites, and helped clean up eight miles of road during the day. The trash included burned tires, old mattresses, multiple wooden pallets and old vehicle debris.
This Public Lands Day Cleanup project was the 33rd of 50 trail and public land restoration events Quadratec will help sponsor in each state by April 2024.
So far through its supported projects, the 50-for-50 Stewardship Grant has accumulated 6,076 volunteer hours with a total value of $182,021, pulled away 106,720 pounds of trash and improved 740 miles of trail.
Quadratec’s ’50-for-50’ stewardship grant fund helps project managers pay for equipment, fees, volunteer support, food, fuel, signage and other miscellaneous costs.
Quadratec has been a supporting partner of Tread Lightly! for more than 20 years, and a longtime fundraiser for Tread Lightly!’s stewardship programs. The company has also promoted Tread Lightly! and other trail restoration efforts through its Quadratec Cares ‘Energize the Environment’ program.
Clubs and individuals are required to be active, supporting members of Tread Lightly! to be eligible to apply for ’50-for-50’ grant funding. To learn more about the Quadratec ’50-for-50 program, visit Quadratec's 50 for 50 Trails Stewardship Grant Initiative.
Recommended Reading:
Quadratec, Tread Lightly! ’50-For-50’ Public Land Cleanup — Maggie Valley, North Carolina
Quadratec's 50 State, 50 Trail Stewardship Initiative Reaches Halfway Mark
