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Celebrating “the lands that give us so much" on National Public Lands Day

Organization:

BLM Wyoming

BLM Office:

Wind River/Bighorn Basin District Office

Media Contact:

A beautiful October day coupled with a great group of area residents and BLM Worland Field Office staff resulted in a fun and successful National Public Lands Day event at the Castle Gardens Recreation Area near Ten Sleep, Wyoming.
 
Volunteers worked in teams to gravel and mulch the picnic table areas; move and stack firewood for the campsites; pull noxious weeds and pick up trash; and paint an informational kiosk. The improvements will provide more enjoyable experiences for the people who visit Castle Gardens to picnic, camp or explore the fantastic hoodoos.
 
Adam Babcock, outdoor recreation planner in the Worland Field Office, chose Castle Gardens for the project to build on recent improvements the BLM has made there including new shade shelters and foot paths that connect campsites to the restroom. But the choice was twofold.
 
“I also wanted to draw more attention to this gem of a recreation area,” said Babcock. “It was already a great day-use area but now that primitive camping is permitted, it’s also a really cool place to set up camp among the hoodoos with views of the Bighorn Mountains.”
 
Justin Smith, a Ten Sleep resident who frequents Castle Gardens for barbecues with family and friends, worked on a team that shoveled gravel and mulch underneath the shade shelters to level the picnic table pads.
 
“My family and I have enjoyed the Castle Gardens area often over the last few years,” said Smith. “My kids love it and spend a lot of time howling at the moon and playing in the dirt. I was glad to be able to give back to Castle Gardens with a little work and I’m very excited that the BLM is actively advocating, maintaining and improving this wonderful space for us locals and our summer visitors.”
 
National Public Lands Day took on a special meaning this year with the BLM’s 70th anniversary and the 40th anniversary of the Federal Land Policy and Management Act.
 
“This year especially, I wanted to connect people with the unique notion of public lands—that America was the first developed nation in the world to recognize the importance of protecting landscape-scale portions of land for the public domain,” said Babcock.
 
The 35 volunteers, from preschoolers to older adults, used shovels, rakes and paint brushes to connect with that notion. Some even asked to do projects like this more often.
 
“It was great to see so many enthusiastic members of the public and the BLM come out to enjoy a beautiful autumn day and celebrate the lands that give us so much,” said Babcock.

 

Group of 30 volunteers raise their hands in the air.
Volunteers spent a morning making improvements to Castle Gardens Recreation Area near Ten Sleep in
celebration of National Public Lands Day.
two small girls clear branches from road.
Campbell Veal and Emmi Beckwith pulled weeds and picked up trash along the road and footpaths
through the recreation area.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

group of adults and children use shovels digging in a picnic shelter
Volunteers improved the picnic and camp sites by graveling and leveling under the shade shelters.
(from left to right: Addie Starbuck, Belle Starbuck, Candy Caines, Justin Smith, Stetson Starbuck,
Roland Lloyd, Dustin Wilson, Sherry Redman, Dale Riedel)

 

 

 

 

 

 

group of children and adults pick up firewood and stack in a large pile.
Repurposed buck and
rail fencing was stacked as firewood—an added bonus for campers at the newly designated
campground. (from left to right: Angie Weeks, Xavier Weeks, Campbell Veal, Cari Forsgren,
Margaret Weaver, Isaiah Ridenour, Adam Babcock, Dora Ridenour)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A woman with 2 kids hold paintbrushes and stand next to a building.
Repainting the informational kiosk was a family project for Xavier, Sean and 
Angie Weeks.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The BLM manages more than 245 million acres of public land located primarily in 12 western states, including Alaska, on behalf of the American people. The BLM also administers 700 million acres of sub-surface mineral estate throughout the nation. Our mission is to sustain the health, diversity, and productivity of America’s public lands for the use and enjoyment of present and future generations.