Road construction at Mojave National Preserve, cabin cleaners wanted at Great Smoky Mountains National Park, and volunteers sought at Mill Springs National Battlefield National Monument are just some of the items in the news from around the National Park System this week.

Mill Springs Battlefield National Monument, Kentucky

On Saturday, April 15, from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m., Mill Springs Battlefield National Monument is participating in the American Battlefield Trust’s 25th annual Park Day. Members of the local community are invited to help with the cleanup of Zollicoffer Park located off Highway 235 in Nancy, Kentucky. Volunteers will rake; collect leaves and sticks; pick up trash; move small logs; and clean signs. To kick off the event, a park ranger will present a short program on the history of the Battle of Mill Springs.

Volunteers interested in participating in Park Day must pre-register. Please reach out to the park’s Community Volunteer Ambassador William Gossage at [email protected], or call the park between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. Wednesday through Sunday at 606-636-4045.

This is the second year the National Park Service is hosting the annual event at Mill Springs Battlefield National Monument. “Volunteer clean up events provide opportunities for the park and community to come together to help care for park resources,” said Superintendent Dawn Davis. “It is also a chance to learn about what happened here on that cold, rainy January morning in 1862.”

One of the newest parks in the National Park System, Mill Springs Battlefield National Monument is free and open to the public Wednesday-Sunday, 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Mill Springs Battlefield was the first major United States victory in the Western Theater of the Civil War, breaking the Confederate defensive line across Kentucky, capturing the attention of national press, and providing a much-needed morale boost for those supporting the United States.

Great Smoky Mountains National Park is seeking volunteers to clean cabins in Cades Cove/NPS

Great Smoky Mountains National Park, North Carolina/Tennessee

Great Smoky Mountains National Park is currently recruiting volunteers to 'Adopt-a-Cabin' in Cades Cove. Individuals or groups can sign up to adopt one of four historic Cades Cove cabins—Elijah Oliver Homestead, Whitehead Cabin, Dan Lawson Place, and Tipton Place.  

Adopt-a-Cabin volunteers are expected to visit their assigned cabin at least once a month for light housekeeping and maintenance tasks. All Adopt-a-Cabin volunteers will be required to attend a training and Spring Cleaning event on Tuesday, March 21, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.  

Great Smoky Mountains National Park holds one of the best collections of historic log buildings in the eastern United States. Cabins, barns, churches, schools and grist mills have been preserved or rehabilitated and are popular destinations for park visitors. 

If you are interested in adopting a Cades Cove cabin, email Trails and Facilities Volunteer Coordinator Adam Monroe ([email protected]). 

Mojave National Preserve, California

On March 20, Mojave National Preserve anticipates initiating a major road construction project along 17.6 miles of Cima Road.

Cima Road connects to I-15 at exit 272 and ends at the intersection of Kelso-Cima Road and the Morning Star Mine Road located within the Preserve. The road construction will require the closure of the Cima Road for approximately one year, requiring a detour to North Kelbaker Road or Morningstar Mine Road. During the Cima Road construction, access to the Cima Dome, White Cross World War I Memorial, and Teutonia Peak Trailhead will be limited to visitors who can access the area via unimproved roads that require a heavy-duty four-wheel drive vehicle.

In light of public safety and to protect road crews working in the area, visitors must avoid driving on or across the active construction zone of Cima Road during this closure. Driving around cones, barricades and signs will be prohibited.

This $24 million project will improve visitor safety and involve infrastructure designed to reduce mortality of the federally listed Desert tortoise (Gopherus agassizii) from motor vehicles impacts.

Cima Road is expected to be closed until March 2024.

North Country National Scenic Trail, Michigan

A 3-acre section of privately owned land to expand the North Country National Scenic Trail in Ross Township, Michigan, has been acquired by the National Park Trust.

The previous owners of the property had an informal agreement with the hikers, allowing the trail to cross their land. However, when the acreage was sold, the new landowner was not obligated to allow hikers access to the parcel. During this time, the trail was re-routed to an area of highway where the speed limit is 55 miles per hour.

To eliminate this unsafe detour, in November 2022 the National Park Trust purchased a 3-acre parcel from the new landowner between Kalamazoo and Battle Creek in Augusta, Michigan, which will be transferred to the National Park Service. Working with the North Country Trail Association, the Park Trust will manage the parcel until the Park Service can take over permanent ownership. Now under the stewardship of the Park Trust, the trail is open to the public so that hikers can hike the Michigan woods and fields, leaving the busy pavement behind.