[Federal Register Volume 77, Number 173 (Thursday, September 6, 2012)]
[Presidential Documents]
[Pages 55101-55102]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2012-22152]


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  Federal Register / Vol. 77 , No. 173 / Thursday, September 6, 2012 / 
Presidential Documents  

[[Page 55101]]


                Proclamation 8856 of August 31, 2012

                
National Wilderness Month, 2012

                By the President of the United States of America

                A Proclamation

                For centuries, America's dramatic landscapes have 
                attracted people from around the world to begin new 
                lives and develop thriving communities on our lands. 
                Today, our wilderness areas reflect an essential part 
                of our national character, and as a people, we are 
                immeasurably richer for their presence. Protected 
                wilderness areas are recreational escapes for families, 
                natural classrooms for students, living laboratories 
                for scientists, irreplaceable retreats for sportsmen 
                and women, and historical treasures for the American 
                people. These landscapes provide clean air, clean 
                water, and essential habitats for fish and wildlife, 
                and they serve as critical storehouses of biodiversity. 
                From mountains and meadows to river valleys and 
                forests, our lands and waters also help drive local 
                economies by creating jobs in tourism and recreation. 
                Our open spaces are more precious today than ever 
                before, and it is essential that we come together to 
                protect them for the next generation.

                American conservation practices inspired countries 
                around the world during the 20th century, and my 
                Administration is working to carry that legacy forward 
                during the 21st. In my first months as President, I was 
                proud to sign a public lands bill that designated more 
                than 2 million acres of wilderness, over 1,000 miles of 
                wild and scenic rivers, and three National Parks. We 
                also launched the America's Great Outdoors Initiative, 
                which laid the foundation for a comprehensive, 
                community-driven conservation strategy that continues 
                to engage Americans in protecting and increasing access 
                to our natural heritage. Today, projects spanning from 
                the Atlantic to the Pacific are helping create and 
                enhance parks, renew and restore our rivers, and 
                conserve our iconic open spaces.

                Generations of visionary leaders and communities have 
                given of themselves to preserve our wild landscapes, 
                fulfilling a responsibility that falls to us all as 
                Americans and as inhabitants of this small planet. 
                During National Wilderness Month, let us celebrate the 
                progress we have made toward meeting that essential 
                challenge, and let us recommit to protecting the land 
                we love for centuries 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 September 2012 as 
                National Wilderness Month. I invite all Americans to 
                visit and enjoy our wilderness areas, to learn about 
                their vast history, and to aid in the protection of our 
                precious national treasures.

[[Page 55102]]

                IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this 
                thirty-first day of August, in the year of our Lord two 
                thousand twelve, and of the Independence of the United 
                States of America the two hundred and thirty-seventh.
                
                
                    (Presidential Sig.)

[FR Doc. 2012-22152
Filed 9-5-12; 11:15 am]
Billing code 3295-F2-P