National Public Lands Day, which calls for volunteers to spend a day working to improve and restore trails, campgrounds and natural habitats, falls on Sept. 24 this year. If you'd like to be among the helping hands locally, Saturday's the day, as the fourth annual Green Tacoma Day consumes area parks. Volunteers organized by the Green Tacoma Partnership will converge on 14 Tacoma parks, including Point Defiance, Titlow, Garfield Gulch, McKinley, and the Tacoma Nature Center.  Volunteers can, er, volunteer by contacting Richard Madison with Metro Parks at 253.752.2596.

For information on parks and projects, go to GrennTacoma.org.