NEW YORK — In celebration of the 100th birthday of the National Park Service, 300 travel and tourism professionals from 80 companies around the country volunteered in cleanup and restoration projects in New York Harbor on November 4.
Volunteers at iconic Ellis Island, which is maintained by the National Park Service, assisted on Islands Two and Three to clean and maintain the buildings and grounds to prevent further disrepair. The islands are currently closed to the public.
Volunteers at the Statue of Liberty mulched and raked debris that accumulated during the fall.
Volunteers also focused on Liberty State Park, overlooking Ellis Island and Liberty Island, home to the Central Railroad of New Jersey terminal, where immigrants were transferred after processing at Ellis Island. They improved the grounds by planting and mulching tree and flower beds.
Collectively, volunteers donated more than 1,800 hours at a value of more than $40,000 to state and national parks.
