On the morning of April 18, about 200 members of the Annandale Stake of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS) descended upon the 15,000-acre Prince William Forest Park. Annandale Stake president Erick R. Erickson of Burke led the LDS saints. They carried with them brooms, dusters, rakes, cleaning solutions and other supplies as part of an effort appropriately named “Operation Clean Sweep.” Some wore T-shirts given to them by the park overseer, the National Park Service (NPS), which expressed thanks to the volunteers for the task at hand.

In 1936, the United States government chose the land that is now Prince William Forest Park as the site where inner-city youth from Washington, D.C. could venture out into nature. The Great Depression was weighing heavily on the youth of America's cities, and parks were born to relieve this burden. To this end, five cabin camps, which still operate today, were built to allow youth to recreate in nature during overnight camp-outs. From this legacy, Prince William Forest Park has grown into a center of recreation for Washington, D.C. area residents and visitors from around the world.

Out of respect for the park’s history and to be of service to the community, the LDS saints, in coordination with NPS park rangers, accomplished the stated goal of cleaning four of the five cabin camps, in order for them to be ready for seasonal occupation. The Operation Clean Sweep cleaning effort involved cleaning rafters, dusting surfaces, washing mattresses, sweeping floors, cleaning window screens and blowing and raking leaves around the dwellings. At the conclusion of the massive work effort, the saints cleaned cabin camps that contained 106 cabins, with sleeping accommodations for 583, plus craft lodges and host houses.

The NPS was grateful for the volunteer effort, as it must annually find volunteers to clean the four cabin camps prior to the seasonal occupation. Because of the large size of the LDS group, the cleaning effort, which usually extends beyond a month, was accomplished in just four hours.

For more information about using the park or volunteering for a service activity, call 703-221-7181 and ask for park ranger Jenn Kays.