The Woodward News

Local News

September 26, 2012

Volunteers can help spruce up national lands

Gary Engel Woodward News

Woodward, Okla. — The public can celebrate National Public Lands Day this Saturday in 2 ways.

First, they can take advantage of an opportunity to visit any one of hundreds of federal sites without having to pay entry fees.  This includes the 133 national parks that normally charge admission. (There are another 264 national parks for which admission is already free, according to National Park Service spokesperson Kathy Kupper.)

Depending on the park, this can potentially save families anywhere from $3 to $25 a person while enjoying some of the most beautiful outdoor spaces and natural wonders across our nation.

Second, the public can join in with a variety of volunteer work projects while visiting many of those sites.  These projects can include everything from replacing signs to removing invasive plants, all in an effort to ensure that these public lands are protected for future generations to enjoy.

Volunteers who help with the work in those parks will receive a coupon good for future free admission to a park of their choosing.

A couple of nearby public land areas will be participating in the National Public Lands Day.

At Canton Lake, the Army Corps of Engineers is looking for volunteers to help remove rocks, branches, concrete and other debris from the Canadian Recreation Area, which was one of the areas at the lake that sustained damage from a tornado in May 2011.  Those wishing to help are asked to bring work gloves and plenty of drinking water, according to the National Public Lands Day website (publiclandsday.org).

The website notes that the clean-up project at the recreation area will actually be held on this Thursday, in advance of the official National Public Lands Day on Sept. 29.

For more information about the Canton Lake project, contact George Mayfield or Johnie Dudley at (580) 886-2989.

Also participating in the public lands day is the Washita National Battlefield (WNB), located about a mile west of Cheyenne on State Highway 47.

Since admission is always free at the Washita site, WNB Director of Interpretation Frank Torres said the battlefield will be offering a different financial incentive for park visitors this weekend.

"Our plans for the day are to offer a 15 percent discount for items in our store," he said.

Among the many offerings at the store, shoppers will find books about the Cheyenne and Arapaho tribes, WNB commemorative T-shirts, postcards, water bottles, refrigerator magnets and a new item the staff is especially proud of, painted and decorated walking sticks, Torres said.

In addition to the Army Corps of Engineers and National Park Service, other Federal agencies offering free admission to their facilities on Sept. 29 include the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Bureau of Land Management, Bureau of Reclamation, and the U.S. Forest Service.

To learn more about the National Public Lands Day and activities planned for the day at different federal sites, go to www.publiclandsday.org.

Text Only
Local News
  • More than just a car show

    This weekend's Woodward Car Show is not just a car show.
    That's because the event also includes a cruise in, burnout contest, poker run, poker walk, kids games, silent auction, and prize drawings.

    May 23, 2013

  • Additional ways to assist tornado victims

    Several organizations across Northwest Oklahoma continue to collect donations to send to assist the victims and survivors of the tornadic storms that ripped through central Oklahoma on Sunday and Monday.

    May 23, 2013

  • Tornado damage may hit $2 billion

    MOORE, Okla. (AP) — The tornado that struck an Oklahoma City suburb this week may have created $2 billion or more in damage as it tore through as many as 13,000 homes, multiple schools and a hospital, officials said Wednesday as they gave the first detailed account of the devastation.

    May 23, 2013

  • Ways to help tornado victims

    After donations of all kinds came flooding into Woodward a year ago following the April 15 tornado, it seems that local and area organizations are eager to pay it forward and show the same support to our fellow Oklahomans now suffering in Shawnee, Carney, Moore and south Oklahoma City.

    May 22, 2013

  • Area woman injured in wreck

    One-vehicle accident happened east of Mutual on Tuesday morning.

    May 22, 2013

  • Hospital hosting emergency preparedness meeting

    Various healthcare agencies across Northwest Oklahoma will meet in Woodward Thursday for a conference designed to help them advance their emergency preparedness efforts.

    May 22, 2013

  • EMS strike team.jpg Woodward County EMS helping with tornado response

    Woodward County EMS has joined in the response efforts to the devastation following the deadly EF-5 tornado in Central Oklahoma.

    May 21, 2013 1 Photo

  • Fire chief says search almost complete in Oklahoma

    MOORE, Okla. (AP) — The search for survivors and the dead is nearly complete in the Oklahoma City suburb that was smashed by a mammoth tornado, the fire chief said Tuesday.

    Gary Bird said he's "98 percent sure" there are no more survivors or bodies to recover under the rubble in Moore, a community of 56,000 people.

    May 21, 2013

  • Local church to hold prayer vigil for Moore tornado victims

    The First Christian Church in Woodward will be holding a prayer vigil tonight at 6 p.m. in support of the victims of the tornado that struck Moore on Monday.

    May 21, 2013

  • Donations being taken at armory today

    If you would like to send items to help the victims of Monday's tornado that ripped through Moore, donations are being accepted at the old armory building at Crystal Beach Park through 5 p.m. today.

    May 21, 2013