[Federal Register Volume 87, Number 171 (Tuesday, September 6, 2022)]
[Presidential Documents]
[Pages 54309-54310]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2022-19303]


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  Federal Register / Vol. 87, No. 171 / Tuesday, September 6, 2022 / 
Presidential Documents  

[[Page 54309]]


                Proclamation 10438 of August 31, 2022

                
National Wilderness Month, 2022

                By the President of the United States of America

                A Proclamation

                From the peaks of the Sierras to the rolling foothills 
                of the Alleghenies, our Nation's wilderness boasts 
                national treasures that provide opportunities for 
                discovery, wonder, and serenity. They are also the 
                current and ancestral homelands of Tribal Nations and 
                Indigenous peoples, many of whom have deep cultural, 
                historic, and spiritual connections to these places. 
                During National Wilderness Month, let us express 
                gratitude for lands and waters that remain in their 
                natural condition, acknowledge the importance of making 
                public lands accessible to all Americans, and 
                rededicate ourselves to conserving and protecting the 
                earth for future generations.

                When designated wilderness areas are left intact, they 
                defend us against climate change, keep us resilient 
                when natural disasters strike, and create a refuge for 
                biodiversity. Our Nation's forests offset 10 percent of 
                our greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions every year. Native 
                grasslands, wetlands, and other healthy soils retain 
                water at faster rates, protecting us against flooding 
                and offering drought relief for surrounding vegetation. 
                Owing to the beauty of these places--and perhaps 
                anticipating their environmental importance--President 
                Lyndon B. Johnson signed into law the 1964 Wilderness 
                Act and created the National Wilderness Preservation 
                System. In the years since, the Congress has designated 
                over 800 wilderness areas comprising more than 111 
                million acres of land.

                Still, America's natural spaces are in danger. Extreme 
                wildfires threaten to destroy our woodlands. Rising 
                tides imperil our coastlines. Runoff from toxic 
                chemicals pollutes our rivers and endangers species. 
                Even if designated wilderness areas appear safe from 
                harm for now, the unpredictable nature of climate 
                change and biodiversity loss looms over our entire 
                Nation.

                In response, my Administration has set ambitious goals 
                to scale back our GHG emissions and chart a new course 
                with clean energy. We pledged to reduce emissions by up 
                to 52 percent by 2030, achieve 100 percent carbon 
                pollution-free electricity by 2035, and create an 
                economy with net-zero emissions by 2050. We set the 
                first-ever national conservation goal through the 
                America the Beautiful Initiative to voluntarily 
                conserve at least 30 percent of lands and waters in the 
                United States by 2030. We are funding ecosystem 
                restoration and reforestation efforts with billions of 
                dollars from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and 
                through the America the Beautiful Challenge, which 
                merges Federal investments with private and 
                philanthropic donations to boost conservation. We are 
                making strategic investments through the Great American 
                Outdoors Act to conserve at-risk lands, including 
                critical habitats and migration corridors. On Earth 
                Day, I signed an Executive Order to strengthen our 
                Nation's, and the world's, vitally important forests.

                As we reflect upon the work that remains before us, we 
                must acknowledge that not all Americans share equal 
                access to public lands. I remain committed to ensuring 
                that everyone can benefit from the natural beauty and 
                bountiful gifts of our wild spaces. I also remain 
                committed to ensuring that Tribal Nations and 
                Indigenous communities can continue sustainably using 
                and connecting with their sacred lands. My 
                Administration will honor those whose ancestors 
                stewarded these lands since time immemorial.

[[Page 54310]]

                This National Wilderness Month, we give thanks for the 
                magnificent beauty that surrounds us, offer our 
                gratitude to the men and women who maintain our public 
                lands, and affirm our duty to safeguard designated 
                wilderness areas and natural spaces across our world.

                NOW, THEREFORE, I, JOSEPH R. BIDEN JR., 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 2022 
                as National Wilderness Month. I encourage all Americans 
                to experience our Nation's outdoor heritage, to 
                recreate responsibly and to leave no trace, to 
                celebrate the value of preserving an enduring 
                wilderness, and to strengthen our commitment to 
                protecting these vital lands and waters now and for 
                future generations.

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

[FR Doc. 2022-19303
Filed 9-2-22; 8:45 am]
Billing code 3395-F2-P