Tennessee State Parks will partner with Tennessee First Lady Maria Lee’s initiative, Tennessee Serves, to offer volunteer opportunities to the public throughout the month of September. These workdays will also coincide with National Public Lands Day.

“This is an excellent chance for volunteers to provide service to the parks as part of both the First Lady’s initiative and an outstanding national event,” said David Salyers, commissioner of the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation. “We welcome everyone who wants to be a part of this special day to serve.”   

Tennessee Serves activities at the parks include trash pickup, trail work, cabin repairs, painting, removal of invasive plant species, and more. For information on Tennessee Serves events at each park please go to the link here.

This year, 52 of the 56 Tennessee State Parks are participating. Rock Island State Park in Warren County has two Tennessee Serves events, Sept. 17 and Sept. 24. Booker T. Washington State Park in Chattanooga will host a large cleanup event on Oct. 1 as part of the Tennessee River Rescue.

The First Lady launched Tennessee Serves in 2019 to encourage Tennesseans to serve one another and volunteer in their communities. The three-part initiative includes serving Tennesseans across the state with a special focus on distressed counties; highlighting people and organizations already making a difference; and mobilizing Tennesseans to meet community needs. For more on Tennessee Serves go to the link here.

National Public Lands Day, established in 1994 and held each year on the fourth Saturday in September, is the nation’s largest single-day volunteer event for public lands. The program restores and improves public lands throughout the country. For more information on National Public Lands Day go to the link here.