Residents are invited to take part in the nation's largest hands-on volunteer effort to improve and protect public lands. The 12th Annual National Public Lands Day events will be held September 17 and September 24 at sites in Southern Nevada.

Get Outdoors Nevada, an interagency volunteer program coordinated by the UNLV Public Lands Institute, is seeking hundreds of volunteers for clean-ups at Sloan Canyon National Conservation Area, Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area and Lake Mead National Recreation Area. The volunteer program and activities are sponsored by the Bureau of Land Management, National Park Service, U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, and U.S. Forest Service.

"Our federal partners and UNLV view this as a wonderful opportunity for all ages to join clean teams to enhance and protect our natural resources," said Nancy Flagg, director of the Public Lands Institute. "We respect the fact that today's volunteers preserve the resources for tomorrow's generations."

Residents can visit www.getoutdoorsnevada.org or call 895-4890 to sign up and take part in the following clean-ups:

? Sloan Canyon National Conservation Area
Saturday, September 17 - 8:00 AM-Noon

? Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area
Saturday, September 24 - 8:00 AM-1:00 PM

? Lake Mead National Recreation Area
Saturday, September 24 - 8:00AM-Noon

National Public Lands Day is a program of the National Environmental Education and Training Foundation. In 2004, nearly 90,000 volunteers across the nation built trails and bridges, planted trees and plants, and removed trash and invasive plants.

Get Outdoors Nevada is funded by the Southern Nevada Public Land Management Act (SNPLMA). More information about the Public Lands Institute and SNPLMA is available at <a href="http://publiclands.unlv.edu">http://publiclands.unlv.edu</a> .