Published: March 18, 2008 03:13 pm            

Friends groups sponsor local Park Day on Saturday, April 5

The Friends of the Park and Friends of Moccasin Bend are recruiting volunteers for hands-on preservation work on Saturday, April 5th at three of the major units of Chickamauga & Chattanooga National Military Park. The 11th annual Park Day is sponsored locally by the sister groups affiliated with Chickamauga & Chattanooga, and nationally by the Civil War Preservation Trust and History Channel. Volunteers are needed to staff work crews on April 5th at:

Chickamauga Battlefield, where fence building will take place in the continuing effort to restore park lands as closely as possible to their 1863 appearance.

Moccasin Bend, where the focus will be on removing accumulated dumped trash to get the Bend ready for development into a visitor-friendly area of the Park.

Orchard Knob, where a number of smaller clean-up and spruce-up projects are planned.

From 9-9:30, volunteers at each location will enjoy an educational program presented by Park rangers. Work will begin at 9:30 AM and continue until 1 PM.

Volunteers should be at least 16 years of age unless accompanied by an adult guardian. Workers should dress appropriately for the weather and outdoor work, and bring their own work gloves if possible. Scout groups, church groups, school groups, civic groups and neighborhood groups are urged to participate, as are individuals.

The Friends groups are requesting the name(s) and age(s) of volunteers, along with an email address, phone number and the location where the individual or group wishes to provide service. This information can be provided in a number of ways:

Friends of the Park Message Line (423-624-6914) or via email using ‘Contact Us’ at www.chickchatt.org

Friends of Moccasin Bend at (423) 785-3030

Park headquarters at (706) 866-9241.

“Park Day is a great team building opportunity,” says Jim Szyjykowski, the Park’s manager of cultural resources. “It also funnels much-appreciated service to this beautiful Park and to more than 1000 other Civil War parks and sites throughout the nation. Without the help of volunteers, Park staffs have a hard time maintaining many areas, detracting from the beauty of the parks and the quality of the experience of visiting it. We hope to welcome a great crowd of volunteers on April 5!”

        

• Click to discuss this story with other readers on our forums.