Presidential Proclamation -- National Park Week, 2016
NATIONAL PARK WEEK, 2016
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BY THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
A PROCLAMATION
Our National Parks have allowed generations to discover history, nature, and wildlife in irreplaceable ways. From the highest peaks of Denali to the lowest dips of the Grand Canyon, families around our country enjoy the splendor of the outdoors. Throughout National Park Week, as we celebrate the ways in which our treasured outdoor spaces enrich our lives and uplift our spirits, the National Park Service will again offer free admission to America's National Parks so more people can explore our country's vast natural beauty.
National Parks provide unique opportunities to connect with one another and the world around us, and my Administration has encouraged more Americans to take advantage of these wonders. Through the "Find Your Park" campaign, we are helping more people visit public lands and landmarks -- from State and local parks that capture our Nation's natural beauty to historical sites that offer unparalleled perspectives into our past. Whether breathtaking sceneries or rushing bodies of water, our National Parks have something for everyone -- young and old -- and I am committed to helping all Americans discover the outdoors and interact with our unique and magical landscapes.
Exposure to the outdoors can stimulate thought and inspiration, and my Administration has been working to provide more of our young people with the opportunity to grow to learn and love our National Parks. We launched the "Every Kid in a Park" initiative, giving all fourth grade students and their families free admission to our parks and other Federal lands and waters. Our parks are beloved parts of America, and ensuring their survival for generations to come is imperative, which is why I have acted to protect more public land and water than any President in history -- more than 265 million acres -- and I have called on the Congress to boost maintenance and modernization of our National Parks so our children and grandchildren will be able to enjoy their magnificence. And because we must protect the one and only planet we have, my Administration will continue working to combat climate change.
This week, in honor of the upcoming National Park Service (NPS) centennial and the rich heritage the NPS has helped protect, let us embrace the opportunity to participate in a variety of scientific, artistic, and athletic activities in our National Parks. And together, let us recommit to promoting environmental stewardship and conserving our public lands so all our daughters and sons can experience the grandeur of our outdoor spaces for years to come.
NOW, THEREFORE, I, BARACK OBAMA, President of the United States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and the laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim April 16 through April 24, 2016, as National Park Week. I encourage all Americans to visit their National Parks and be reminded of these unique blessings we share as a Nation.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this fifteenth day of April, in the year of our Lord two thousand sixteen, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and fortieth.
Comments
Already have. Challanged you to provide evidence the legislature and Cruz callled for privitizing the parks. You have failed to provide it.
Gosh, somehow I don't remember that. Could you repost it? You are good at challenging others to document things but are woefiully short in that department yourself.
Its in the very post you responded to that started with "baloney". I said " Please show me were any of them have said they want to privitize the Parks." and not surprisingly, you have failed to do it.
Stop worrying about who is privatizing your national parks (no one), and start worrying about who is leasing away your public lands (everyone). Privatization is another smokescreen. For that matter, none of you has good documentation. You're all reaching for your holsters again. I know that none of you likes the facts here, but they are indeed the facts. Your president, Congress, et al., are good at putting up smokescreens, knowing you won't wait for the smoke to clear. They count on it, as a matter of fact. A liittle more "light reading" below about what is happening to the Mojave Desert.
https://www.publicintegrity.org/2013/07/25/13044/battle-brews-over-obama...
Thank you Alfred. I agree with most everything you wrote above. Though, you seem to be more reluctant than I to lease federal lands. In some instances it may be inapproriate but I would not take a blanket stance against it.
EC, leasing the public lands is fine. And yes, there has been much talk about leasing out the services within the parks, specifically those currently provided by the NPS. As we know, the first leases were in 1864--in the Yosemite Grant awarded to California. It stuck. All concessions services are provided by leaseholders. But still, very few of the daily maintenance chores are leased to private entities. Some have proposed that change.
I would not object, PROVIDED, the lands themselves still stayed with the people. You can never get that back. But yes, if the NPS is overburdened, they might lease some of those obligations out.
Now, what the Interior and Energy Departments call "leasing" I would call a sacrilege. Those lands will take centuries to recover--if then. Those are not leases respectful of biological needs (water, grass, trees, and wildlife), but rather wholesale alterations intended as pure subsidies. Regulated grazing, timber cutting, water storage, and yes, even mineral development, can and do respect the land. Leasing out NPS services would still respect the land. Where is the respect in these green energy projects? The bulldozer scrapes it bare, and nothing is left for biology.
But you have my article on Soda Mountain. You know how I feel. And yes, you can find anything in the literature if you look hard enough, even calls for abolishing the national parks. But here is the point. You can say anything. The current administration is doing more than talk. They are taking action to convert our public lands into something never intended. Why should any president get a pass on that?
Then you are not as absolute as I feared. We are very much in agreement.
Some of my best friends are foresters, hydrologists, and agronomists. They remind me where my breakfast comes from. There are two major branches of conservation, and all of us should believe in both. What we should not allow, under any circumstances, is the dismemberment of our public lands. It used to be said: "If it looks bad, it is bad." Now we are being asked to say: "It isn't so bad after all." No wonder, in the words of Lily Tomlin, things are likely to get worse before they get worse.