Jewel Cave Hosts Blue Star Families Volunteer Group

CUSTER, SD – Jewel Cave National Monument hosted a volunteer project with Blue Star Families on Saturday, June 20. Blue Star Families worked with monument staff to pick up trash in the monument’s Historic Area.

Seven volunteers with Blue Star Families met at the Jewel Cave visitor center and then hiked on the Canyons Trail to the Historic Area, where they spent nearly two hours picking up multiple bags of trash – including nearly the entire front end of a car. While it was forecasted to be a rainy day, fortunately the rain held off for the trash-pick up and hike, and afterwards the volunteers were able to join a cave tour.

Blue Star Families is the largest nonprofit serving and representing military and veteran families. This nonprofit was founded in 2009 by military family members to empower military families to connect with their civilian neighbors to create strong communities of support.

The June 20 event was part of the “Military Families Outdoors” program. Military Families Outdoors, administered by Defense Health Agency and the National Park Service, brings together the expertise of Blue Star Families, and Wilderness Inquiry, to provide engaging outdoor wellness experiences for service members and military families across the country. Jewel Cave National Monument appreciated this collaborative effort and working with Blue Star Families.