You are rich.....rich in public resources. Americans own millions of acres of federally managed resources – rivers, beaches, deserts, mountains, woodlands, parks and historic sites. You also own thousands of state, community, and neighborhood resources… your neighborhood park, nature trail, roadway, school and community center – they’re all yours to use and enjoy.

They are also your responsibility, we each have an obligation to be stewards of these resources. Each of us can make a difference - everyone of us can do something to help.

The environment begins in our own backyard. Everyone has seen litter in the parks, broken playground swings, graffiti covered walls, littered beaches, eroded trails, wetlands filled with debris follow with destroying the beauty and enjoyment of our public lands and public places. Each of us must take ownership and action. We can begin by restoring and maintaining our neighborhoods, our land and our environment… and Take Pride in America.

Here are 50 ideas for action - as an individual, business, media outlet, or government agency or representative.

1. Organize a Take Pride in America volunteer effort at your workplace, school, church, synagogue, mosque or neighborhood.
2. Encourage businesses and corporations to donate money, services, and equipment for efforts benefiting public lands and resources.
3. Organize a Take Pride in America community-wide clean up drive (engage and work with community leaders and elected officials).
4. Publicize the Take Pride awards program and encourage groups to nominate their programs and projects.
5. Sponsor a school or extracurricular essay contest for students to write about what “Take Pride in America” means to them.
6. Organize a race or contest to benefit a local public area, wildlife or cultural resource.
7. Work with a local cable television station or operation company to publicize upcoming Take Pride events on a local community access channel.
8. Cook or serve meals for volunteers or help provide transportation to work sites for volunteers participating in a Take Pride in America project.
9. Plan events to observe designated national celebrations (Historic Preservation Week, National Volunteer Week, Tourism Week, Seasons of Service, etc.) to underscore the Take Pride theme.
10. Provide advice and assistance for fundraising events, which benefit public lands and resources.
11. Recognize outstanding volunteer efforts by giving certificates and letters of commendation.
12. Work with your employer to implement employee stewardship programs.
13. Compile a list of available public or private assistance programs in your community that can be used by land management agencies.
14. Include information about Take Pride in printed and audio-visual materials about land and resource management programs and issues.
15. Implement an “Adopt-a” program to take care of public lands and facilities.
16. Set up “hotlines” for reporting all types of vandalism and abuse of public lands and resources.
17. Encourage businesses to lend equipment or storage space for a project which benefits public lands.
18. Include mail inserts on Take Pride in mass mailings to employees, members, constituents, etc.
19. Develop a list of all the volunteer programs in your community and share them with local news outlets. You can start your research with the USA Freedom Corps volunteer network at 1-800-USA-Corps or www.usafreedomcorps.gov.
20. Enclose the Take Pride message in billings of utility companies, banks, credit cards, etc.
21. Develop a newspaper “mini-page” on land and resource stewardship for children.
22. Develop a crossword puzzle using the Take Pride theme and distribute it to schools or community organizations.
23. Recruit volunteers to mange and recruit additional volunteers for Take Pride in America projects in your community.
24. Develop a “good steward” test or questionnaire for magazines.
25. Sponsor a photo contest and ask participants to submit pictures representing what taking pride in America means to them.
26. Recycle aluminum cans or newspapers and donate the proceeds to a project that benefits public lands and resources.
27. Invite a representative from a volunteer group or land management agency to speak to your civic club, church, synagogue, mosque, school or youth group.
28. Organize a “Take Pride In __________” committee in your State or community to organize and coordinate local activities.
29. Develop audio-visual materials (movies, videos, slide shows, etc.) using the public lands and resources to illustrate the Take Pride message.
30. Act as a campground “host” by disseminating information on proper use of public lands and giving campfire talks.
31. Start a Take Pride column in a local newspaper or encourage local papers to do feature articles on the work of volunteers and ways to help the public lands in your area.
32. Work with an existing local volunteer center to match stewardship needs with citizens’ interests.
33. Establish a skills bank of potential volunteers and a list of the needs of local land management agencies.
34. Set up a local speaker’s bureau to spread the Take Pride message.
35. Distribute brochures with the Take Pride message to visitors at entry stations to parks and open spaces in your area.
36. Enlist the support of retired citizens in distributing campaign materials, making presentations, and leading community stewardship efforts.
37. Implement “Watch” programs to encourage people to report abuses of lands and resources.
38. Include the Take Pride stewardship message in school curricula and youth group education packets.
39. Encourage speakers to include the Take Pride message in all relevant speeches and interviews, press releases, etc.
40. Contact your local elected leaders and inquire about volunteer opportunities on public parks, cemeteries, public sidewalks and buildings.
41. Volunteer to staff the desk at a visitor center or provide staff assistance for a land management office.
42. Establish a “Friends of ________” non-profit organization to benefit a particular unit of public land.
43. Organize an environmental education program for school children and consider using an area of public lands as an “outdoor classroom.”
44. Set up a donation box or develop a gift catalog to assist resource and land mangement projects.
45. Volunteer to conduct research or field studies for land mangers.
46. Encourage local radio, television stations and newspapers to run Take Pride public service announcements (PSAs).
47. Write articles about the Take Pride message and examples of stewardship activities for your church, synagogue, mosque, club, professional organization, office or school newsletter.
48. Encourage the local media to produce feature stories on local examples of stewardship opportunities and cover Take Pride related news events.
49. Volunteer to issue visitor permits or check passes at the gate of a recreation or historic area and distribute material on the Take Pride campaign.
50. Write outdoor guides on history, flora and fauna, etc. for a trail, campground, or other public land area.