[Federal Register Volume 62, Number 78 (Wednesday, April 23, 1997)]
[Presidential Documents]
[Pages 19895-19896]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 97-10713]


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  Federal Register / Vol. 62, No. 78 / Wednesday, April 23, 1997 / 
Presidential Documents  

[[Page 19895]]


                Proclamation 6994 of April 19, 1997

                
National Park Week, 1997

                By the President of the United States of America

                A Proclamation

                One hundred and twenty-five years ago, America made a 
                momentous decision: to set aside and protect in 
                perpetuity an extraordinary part of our young Nation. 
                With the signing of the Yellowstone National Park Act 
                on March 1, 1872, President Ulysses S. Grant created 
                the world's first national park, and the succeeding 
                years have proved beyond all doubt the wisdom and 
                foresight of that decision. Known throughout the world 
                for its beauty and the natural wonders that lie within 
                its boundaries, Yellowstone has inspired the creation 
                of a multitude of other national parks, both here and 
                in other countries, preserving for future generations 
                the rich natural and cultural legacy of our world.

                Today, our 374 national parks protect America's 
                unparalleled wonders and the history of those who have 
                helped shape our land. Our national parks preserve both 
                where we live and who we are. In America's national 
                parks, we see Americans through their experiences--war 
                and peace, tragedy and triumph, struggle and liberty. 
                Our national park sites invite us not only to marvel at 
                the grand geography of Yellowstone or the Great 
                Smokies, but also to explore the innovative genius of 
                Thomas Edison at the Edison National Historic Site in 
                New Jersey, to visit the remains of an ancient 
                civilization at Mesa Verde in Colorado, or to walk the 
                hallways of the Kansas school where the struggle for 
                civil rights ultimately led to the landmark Brown vs. 
                Board of Education Supreme Court decision.

                In addition to the parks themselves, the national park 
                spirit thrives in thousands of communities across the 
                country where the National Park Service provides 
                support and technical advice to create close-to-home 
                recreational opportunities and to honor local history 
                through programs such as Rivers, Trails, and 
                Conservation Assistance, the National Register of 
                Historic Places, and National Historic Landmarks. The 
                National Park Service, in partnership with 
                organizations and individuals dedicated to conservation 
                and historic preservation, is ensuring that our 
                national parks touch the lives of as many people as 
                possible, while sparking an interest among our Nation's 
                children in archaeology, ethnography, history, historic 
                landscapes, and historic structures.

                Indeed, the national parks remain a magnet for the 
                American public. Every year millions of visitors flock 
                to them--270 million in 1996. Surveying our history and 
                heritage, our national parks let us reach out and touch 
                the past.

                As we observe this week, let us remember with gratitude 
                all those who are and have been entrusted with the 
                stewardship of these treasured places. As the parks and 
                the mandate of the National Park Service have evolved, 
                the demands on those who manage these resources have 
                become more complex and the skills required of the 
                National Park Service work force have become more 
                sophisticated. These men and women are the guardians of 
                our cultural and natural treasures, and, on behalf of 
                all Americans, I express my deepest thanks.

[[Page 19896]]

                This year, National Park Week celebrates the strength 
                of our unique and diverse system of national parks, and 
                I urge all Americans to share in the wonderful 
                experiences these places offer all of us.

                NOW, THEREFORE, I, WILLIAM J. CLINTON, President of the 
                United States of America, by virtue of the authority 
                vested in me by the Constitution and laws of the United 
                States, do hereby proclaim April 21 through April 27, 
                1997, as National Park Week.

                IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this 
                nineteenth day of April, in the year of our Lord 
                nineteen hundred and ninety-seven, and of the 
                Independence of the United States of America the two 
                hundred and twenty-first.

                    (Presidential Sig.)

[FR Doc. 97-10713
Filed 4-22-97; 11:00 am]
Billing code 3195-01-P