World Planting Day is dedicated to planting in whatever capacity you can, from planting a garden, to helping an organization, or even just spreading awareness about the importance of plants.

Save the Koala Day. In April 2012, the Australian Government declared the Koala as ‘vulnerable’ under the Federal EPBC Act in New South Wales, the Act and Queensland. The Australian Koala Foundation estimates that there are less than 100,000 Koalas left in the wild, possibly as few as 43,000. There are four Australian states where Koalas occur in the wild—Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria and South Australia.

National Elephant Appreciation Day is a great time to give these majestic and beautiful creatures the respect they deserve. Elephants are the largest land mammals on Earth, so it’s only right that they have a day completely dedicated to them. Sadly, humans are increasingly placing the elephant’s future at risk. So, whether you’re a lifelong elephant lover or not, take time on September 22 to learn about these amazing pachyderms.

International Red Panda Day. With the decline of available opportunities to live and thrive in their natural habitat, Red Pandas are struggling. International Red Panda Day hopes to encourage people to learn about these adorable creatures and help save the biome in which they live.

Today is a great reminder that we all need to cleanup our parks, waterways, and facilities on federal lands.

As Leaf Explorers, we know how important it is to preserve the beauty and safety of these natural areas, increase our family and friends’ sense of ownership and community pride in these spaces, and reduce the amount of litter along the federal lands.