Huntsville, Ala. (Oct. 2, 2014) – On Saturday, Sept. 27, 2014, more than 100 Toyota Alabama volunteers headed to John Hunt Park in support of National Public Lands Day (NPLD).  The participants were part of a coast-to-coast effort of more than 175,000 who came together in all 50 states to donate their time and effort to improving public lands.
 
NPLD – the nation’s largest, single-day volunteer effort for public lands – is a celebration of the work, play and learning that takes place on public lands every day and offers everyone an opportunity to help maintain them.
 
Toyota volunteers planted trees, cleared trails, built fences and painted – all part of the master plan to turn John Hunt Park into a focal point for Huntsville.  The plan includes tree-lined walking, jogging and biking paths, a splash park and children’s playground, picnic areas, green space, additional tennis courts and more for the 387-acre park.  "It's time to get rid of the old airport runways and create our own central park with activities for all citizens," said Mayor Tommy Battle. "John Hunt Park is a beautiful site, and we want to see it realize its full potential."
 
This year marked the first year Toyota Alabama has organized volunteers in support of NPLD.  In addition, a $10,000 donation was also made to go toward improvement efforts of John Hunt Park.  “Giving back to the communities where our team members work and live is extremely important to Toyota,” said Jim Bolte, president of Toyota Alabama. “NPLD is a great opportunity for our team members to support an environmentally focused activity, which is also a priority for Toyota.
 
“We appreciate the volunteers from Toyota and other Huntsville area groups who collectively provided nearly 500 hours of work at John Hunt Park,” said Mayor Battle  “National Public Lands Day is a great way to highlight the importance of public lands that we want to pass on to future generations.”
 
For the past sixteen years, Toyota Motor Sales, USA, Inc. has been the national sponsor of NPLD.