September 22, 2009

Special Events, Entrance Fees Waived This Saturday at Lake Mead for National Public Lands Day

Las Vegas - America's national parks will be celebrating National Public Lands Day, Saturday, September 26 with a day of service and celebration by hosting special events and waiving entrance fees. Lake Mead National Recreation Area is inviting volunteers and visitors to experience their park and catch a free sneak preview of Ken Burns' new documentary "The National Parks: America's Best Idea" premiering on PBS on September 27.

Over 100 volunteers are expected to participate in two events on Saturday, a clean-up at Boulder Harbor and a restoration project at the visitor center.

"This is America," a 45-minute film by Ken Burns that compliments his "The National Parks: America's Best Idea" series will be shown every hour beginning at 9 a.m. in the visitor center theater. The park will also be featuring short films about Lake Mead National Recreation Area produced by students from Bailey Middle School.

Free refreshments will be provided courtesy of Western National Parks Association. All items in the visitor center bookstore will be discounted 15 percent.

Those interested in participating in any of the Lake Mead volunteer events can sign up online through Wednesday at www.getoutdoorsnevada.org. After Wednesday contact Barbara Sharp at (702) 293-8717 or send an email to Barbara_Sharp@nps.gov

National Public Lands Day is the only time that entrance fees are waived systematically on public lands throughout the country where fees are typically charged. Other federal agencies participating and offering free admission on Saturday include the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the Bureau of Land Management, the Bureau of Reclamation, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, and the U.S. Forest Service.

The fee waiver only applies to entrance fees and does not include lake use fees and other recreational use fees.

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