[Federal Register Volume 88, Number 80 (Wednesday, April 26, 2023)]
[Presidential Documents]
[Pages 25263-25264]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2023-08936]


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  Federal Register / Vol. 88 , No. 80 / Wednesday, April 26, 2023 / 
Presidential Documents  

[[Page 25263]]


                Proclamation 10554 of April 21, 2023

                
National Park Week, 2023

                By the President of the United States of America

                A Proclamation

                Edward Abbey, park ranger and author, wrote that 
                ``Every man, every woman, carries in heart and mind the 
                image of the ideal place, the right place, the one true 
                home, known or unknown, actual or visionary.'' For so 
                many Americans, this place can be found in our 
                magnificent National Park System. From the pristine 
                lakes of Glacier National Park to the breathtaking 
                cliffs of Acadia and from Independence Hall in 
                Philadelphia to the C[eacute]sar E. Ch[aacute]vez 
                National Monument in California, these 424 cultural 
                treasures and natural wonders provide endless 
                opportunities for recreation, reflection, and 
                inspiration. This week, we celebrate our cherished 
                National Park System and recommit ourselves to 
                protecting it for years to come.

                Preserving our remarkable lands, which have been home 
                to Tribal Nations since time immemorial, not only 
                bridges our past to our present but also invests in our 
                planet's future. By tending to our forests, we support 
                our trees' ability to cycle carbon dioxide out of the 
                atmosphere. By safeguarding our wetlands, we shore up 
                our defenses against hurricanes and superstorms and 
                improve our chances of beating back forest fires. 
                Ensuring the health of our ecosystems is vital to our 
                fight against the climate crisis and our resilience 
                when disasters strike.

                That is why I launched the ``America the Beautiful'' 
                initiative during my first year in office. This set a 
                national goal of voluntarily conserving 30 percent of 
                our country's lands and waters by 2030. Our National 
                Park System is a cornerstone of this conservation 
                effort, and expanding and protecting it is key to 
                meeting our goal.

                My Administration is also investing over a billion 
                dollars through our Bipartisan Infrastructure Law to 
                help Federal agencies, including the National Park 
                Service, restore our extensive system of national parks 
                and public lands. This funding supports critical 
                ecosystems by combating invasive species, replanting 
                vegetation, and improving soil health. It expands 
                recruitment, training, and pay for thousands of brave 
                wildland firefighters. And it supports new trails, 
                roads, bridges, and other transportation within 
                national parks, making it easier and safer to travel 
                and see the sights. These efforts go hand-in-hand with 
                our Inflation Reduction Act, the largest investment in 
                combating climate change in American history. With this 
                law, the National Park Service will hire new employees, 
                and we will build out clean energy charging stations 
                across our national parks and public lands, bringing us 
                closer to a net-zero emissions future.

                I have been proud to use executive authorities--
                including my authority under the Antiquities Act--to 
                protect and expand some of America's most cherished 
                natural wonders in and outside the National Park 
                System. I designated the Camp Hale-Continental Divide 
                Monument in Colorado and protected Alaska's Tongass 
                National Forest. I restored protections for Alaska's 
                Bristol Bay, Minnesota's Boundary Waters Area 
                Watershed, Utah's Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-
                Escalante National Monuments, and the Northeast Canyons 
                and Seamounts National Monuments. And last month, I 
                established our two newest national monuments--Avi Kwa 
                Ame National Monument

[[Page 25264]]

                in Nevada and Castner Range National Monument in 
                Texas--protecting nearly 514,000 total acres of public 
                land.

                Throughout this work, my Administration is ensuring 
                that all Americans have equal access to our national 
                parks. My new Budget requests $3.8 billion from the 
                Congress for the National Park Service so we can 
                improve transportation options to and from these 
                sites--making it easier for all Americans to visit, 
                especially people in underserved communities and people 
                with disabilities. We are taking steps to recognize 
                traditional indigenous knowledge and to expand Tribal 
                co-stewardship of national parks because drawing upon 
                Tribal Nations' deep expertise of these lands is key to 
                sustaining them. And through the Outdoor Recreation 
                Legacy Partnership, the National Park Service is 
                helping renovate and build public parks and other 
                outdoor spaces in communities with little access to 
                outdoor recreation.

                Our national parks are the envy of the world. Jill and 
                I have taken our children and grandchildren to these 
                extraordinary places around the country to remind them 
                of the magnificence and majesty of America. They unite 
                us all and are the birthright that we pass down from 
                generation to generation. This week and always, let us 
                appreciate these national treasures that our ancestors 
                conserved for us and rededicate ourselves to preserving 
                them for all Americans to enjoy.

                On April 22, the National Park Service will be offering 
                free entry to all national parks. I encourage everyone 
                to take advantage of this opportunity and to visit 
                these treasured places.

                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 April 22 
                through April 30, 2023, as National Park Week. I 
                encourage all Americans to find their park, recreate 
                responsibly, and enjoy the benefits that come from 
                spending time in the natural world.

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

[FR Doc. 2023-08936
Filed 4-25-23; 8:45 am]
Billing code 3395-F3-P