[Federal Register Volume 81, Number 165 (Thursday, August 25, 2016)]
[Presidential Documents]
[Pages 58805-58806]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2016-20587]



[[Page 58803]]

Vol. 81

Thursday,

No. 165

August 25, 2016

Part V





The President





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Proclamation 9475--100th Anniversary of the National Park Service
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  Federal Register / Vol. 81 , No. 165 / Thursday, August 25, 2016 / 
Presidential Documents  

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 Title 3--
 The President

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                Proclamation 9475 of August 22, 2016

                
100th Anniversary of the National Park Service

                By the President of the United States of America

                A Proclamation

                In 1872, the Congress established Yellowstone National 
                Park--the first park of its kind anywhere in the world. 
                Decades later, the passage of the Antiquities Act in 
                1906 created our first national historic preservation 
                policy. Under this new authority, and heavily inspired 
                by his time in nature with conservationist John Muir, 
                President Theodore Roosevelt set aside 18 new monuments 
                and landmarks, adding to the scattered collection of 
                existing parks throughout our country. One decade 
                later, in order to provide the leadership necessary for 
                maintaining our growing system of parks, the Congress 
                passed monumental legislation--which President Woodrow 
                Wilson signed on August 25, 1916--to create the 
                National Park Service (NPS). All existing National 
                Parks were placed under the management of the NPS, 
                ushering in a new era of conservation, exploration, and 
                discovery--and securing, throughout the century that 
                would follow, the profound legacy of an interconnected 
                system of natural wonders.

                Over the course of the past 100 years, our national 
                park system has grown to include more than 400 
                locations across our country. Ranging from seashores to 
                waterfalls, winding trails to rugged mountains, 
                historic battlefields to monuments and memorials, every 
                treasured site under the NPS is uniquely American. Our 
                parks play a critical role in environmental 
                stewardship, ensuring that precious wildlife can thrive 
                and that ecosystems can provide the many benefits on 
                which we depend. They have sustained the stories and 
                cultures that define the American experience, and they 
                embody the people and movements that distinguish our 
                Nation's journey.

                As we reflect on the many natural and cultural gifts 
                that our National Parks provide, we must also look to 
                the next century and pledge to secure our precious 
                resources. That is why my Administration has protected 
                over 265 million acres of public lands and waters--more 
                than any Administration in history--and worked to save 
                endangered and vulnerable species and their vital 
                habitats. Climate change poses the biggest threat to 
                our planet and our parks and is already dangerously 
                affecting park ecosystems and visitor experiences. It 
                is imperative that we rise to meet this challenge and 
                continue leading the global fight against climate 
                change to ensure that our parks remain healthy for all 
                who will come after us.

                Often called ``America's best idea,'' our National 
                Parks belong to Americans of all ages and backgrounds. 
                NPS sites and their recreational, educational, and 
                public health benefits are our American birthright. 
                Last year, these sites welcomed more than 300 million 
                visitors, and my Administration is committed to helping 
                all our people access and enjoy these public lands and 
                waters. Through our ``Every Kid in a Park'' initiative, 
                we have made our National Parks free to fourth grade 
                students and their families so that more children, from 
                any community or walk of life, can spend time being 
                active in our outdoor spaces while learning about these 
                natural treasures--something that First Lady Michelle 
                Obama has also advocated for through her Let's Move! 
                initiative. And through the Joining Forces initiative 
                that she and Dr. Jill Biden have championed, more of 
                our troops and military families can enjoy our National 
                Parks. We must expand on these programs

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                and increase opportunities for people in underserved 
                communities to experience the great outdoors as well. 
                The second century of the NPS will rely on the support 
                and engagement of young people who are visiting more 
                parks through the ``Find Your Park'' campaign, and we 
                must encourage this rising generation of Americans by 
                inviting them to make their own personal connections to 
                the places that have shaped our history.

                NPS parks and programs strive to tell our diverse 
                stories, allowing us to learn from the past and help 
                write our country's next great chapters. In celebration 
                of the 100th anniversary of the National Park Service, 
                let us thank all those who--through their dedication to 
                the mission of the NPS--help our country build on the 
                legacy left by all those who came before us. As we look 
                to the next century and embrace the notion that 
                preserving these public spaces in ways that engage, 
                reflect, and honor all Americans has never been more 
                important, let us summon the foresight and faith in the 
                future to do what it takes to protect our National 
                Parks for generations 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 August 25, 2016, as 
                the 100th Anniversary of the National Park Service. I 
                invite all Americans to observe this day with 
                appropriate programs, ceremonies, and activities that 
                recognize the National Park Service for maintaining and 
                protecting our public lands for the continued benefit 
                and enjoyment of all Americans.

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

[FR Doc. 2016-20587
Filed 8-24-16; 11:15 am]
Billing code 3295-F6-P