The National Park Service will be hosting a Volunteer Workday at Manzanar National Historic Site on Saturday, May 14, from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.
Everyone is invited to join the Manzanar staff in the preservation of this special site. The Volunteer Day work project involves planting 50 small black locust trees at the Manzanar Relocation Center entrance to replace dead historic trees.
Planting young healthy trees will not only help protect the remaining historic trees from wind damage, but they also absorb carbon from the atmosphere and moderate local temperatures, are less fire-prone than dead trees, brush, and weeds, and help retain soil moisture, lessening runoff and erosion.
Staff and community members will work together, get to know each other, and have some good, dirty, outdoor fun. Manzanar will provide tools (gloves, shovels, and chairs for lunch) and project supervision. Each volunteer will receive a water bottle and a bandana. Volunteers should bring their own lunch and wear sturdy closed-toe shoes, a hat, and sunscreen.
The day’s schedule is as follows:
9 a.m.: Arrive, park, and sign in at the historic entrance
9:15 a.m.: Welcome, outline of work, safety message
9:30 to 11:30 a.m.: Work project
11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.: Lunch
12:30 to 2:30 p.m.: Work project
Volunteers should RSVP as participation is limited. Email Jeff Burton at jeff_burton@nps.gov for more information and to sign up. Manzanar National Historic Site is located nine miles north of Lone Pine and six miles south of Independence on the west side of U.S. Highway 395.
For more information on Manzanar, visit the website at www.nps.gov/manz.