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The group aims to enlist 1,000 volunteers to take on more than 100 projects within the park over the course of a month during C&O Canal Pride Days. The effort is co-sponsored by the National Park Service.

On Saturday, volunteers worked to paint a fence near the Lock 19 bridge, rake leaves and lay mulch around the Great Falls picnic area, and re-paint the area’s entrance booth.

With more than 3 million visitors a year, wear and tear on the park is all too common, according to Matthew Logan, president of the organization.

‘‘It’s the obligation of the community to come together and support the park we use and love so much,” Logan said.

So far, more than 700 volunteers have signed up, Logan said. Volunteers will work on projects, such as painting lockhouses and benches, repairing picnic tables, planting trees and flowers, and removing invasive plants over the next few weeks.

‘‘When we first said 1,000 volunteers, I thought, no way,” Logan said. ‘‘But now I’m feeling pretty confident.”

Pride Days is one of the first major efforts of the C&O Canal Trust, a group founded last year. Logan, who heads the group after working for the Potomac Conservancy, an environmental organization focused on the Potomac River, said he saw a need for engaging the community in the park.

The use of the park, especially in areas in Potomac and Cabin John, is so great that ‘‘the concern is that we are loving the park to death,” Logan said.

State Sen. Brian E. Frosh (D-Dist.16) of Bethesda was among those who attended the kickoff event.

‘‘I’m on the canal almost every weekend,” Frosh told The Gazette, saying that restoration of the park was an important issue.

Frosh said he has been involved with several C&O Canal projects, one of which was helping to raise funds for the Charles F. Mercer, a replica of an original canal boat used to give visitors rides along the canal.

According to the National Park Service, volunteer efforts with maintenance and restoration projects free up time for park rangers. ‘‘This is exactly the type of partnership organization this site needs to enhance the park in ways the National Park Service can’t do alone,” said park superintendent Kevin Brandt.

For the community, service to the park was a way to enjoy the sunshine as well as give back to the park they use for entertainment and enjoyment.

Girl Scout Troop 485 of Darnestown was busy raking leaves and preparing the picnic area for other volunteers to cover the ground with mulch.

Scout Ellie Wilson, 7, of Darnestown said she wanted to help the park because she uses it frequently with her family. ‘‘I come really often because my mom runs along the towpath and I ride my bike,” she said.

Ashraf Jahangir, vice president and regional manager for Kleinfelder, a professional services company in Hanover, took on painting the Lock 19 fence along with ten colleagues. For Jahangir, of Ellicott City, it was a first visit to the Great Falls area of the park, and he expressed interest in coming back to visit along with his family.

‘‘The national parks are an incredible gift from our predecessors and I think all of us want to make sure they are here for our kids and grandkids,” Brandt said.

TO HELP

For more information about C&O Canal Pride Days or to volunteer, visit www.canaltrust.org or call 301-714-2233.