Wichita Mountains hosting litter clean-up event

The Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge and the Friends of the Wichitas are celebrating National Public Lands Day (NPLD) with a volunteer litter clean-up event from 8:30 to noon Sept. 28 at the Refuge’s Visitor Center, at the Junction of OK 115 and OK 49, six miles north of Cache.

This year’s theme is “Together for Tomorrow,” according to a press release. Volunteers of all ages and abilities can roll up their sleeves and join forces for a common goal. Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge will join many fellow Americans on public lands across the country to celebrate the nation’s largest single-day volunteer effort for public lands.

The event will begin with a Leave No Trace briefing and clean-up assignments, the release said. Teams will report back to the Visitor Center at noon to weigh in trash, play games, collect prizes including a free t-shirt and enjoy a free lunch provided by the Friends of the Wichitas.

Organizations and individuals are encouraged to assemble teams for a friendly competition to see who can pick up the most, heaviest or even oddest items during the clean-up, the release said. Prizes will be given in several categories.

Naomi Baucom, Park Ranger and Volunteer Coordinator of the refuge, said BioBlitz is a communal citizen-science effort to record as many species within a designated location and time period as possible.

Volunteers can sign up online at https://bit.ly/4ggDrlQ by September 15.

For more information, visit www.fws.gov or contact Baucom at [email protected].