[United States Statutes at Large, Volume 125, 112th Congress, 1st Session]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

 
Proclamation 8720 of September 23, 2011

National Hunting and Fishing Day, 2011
By the President of the United States of America
A Proclamation
On vast plains and through dense forests, along rocky riverbanks and
atop tranquil lakes, Americans of every age and background cherish their
connection to the great outdoors. As we mark National Hunting and
Fishing Day, we are reminded of the uniquely American idea that each of
us has an equal share in the land around us and an equal responsibility
to protect it.
America's hunters and anglers directly experience the endless beauty and
reward of our Nation's bounty. We have long depended on this land to
sustain us, from our Native American ancestors and the settlers on the
Eastern Seaboard to the sportsmen and women of today. Fishing and
hunting are traditions that span untold lengths of time, enabling
important bonds to the land and between generations to form. Sportsmen
also develop unique connections to the land they enjoy, and hunters and
fishermen were some of our first conservationists. These relationships
are preserved and passed on with pride, along with a deep and abiding
respect for nature.
Today, we continue the essential work of conserving and sustaining our
precious environment. Our landscapes are not only a source of pleasure,
but a valuable resource for our local economies and the livelihood of
many across America. Last year, after an unprecedented public engagement
effort, with input from across our country, my Administration launched
the America's Great Outdoors Initiative. Through this initiative, we are
working to meet the unique challenges of environmental stewardship in
the 21st century and create community-based solutions for conservation.
As part of the America's Great Outdoors Initiative, we recently
established the Federal Interagency Council on Outdoor Recreation to
assist with promoting outdoor recreational activities for American
families on public lands. By coordinating with State, local, and tribal
governments, and other stakeholders, the Council aims to connect our
families, and especially our youth, to the rugged beauty of the natural
wonders our Nation's hunters and anglers know so well.
Protecting the conservation legacy of our past is the responsibility of
all Americans. Working together, we can preserve the wonder of nature
while building a future where all Americans are able to enjoy and share
in her bounty.
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 24, 2011, as
National Hunting and Fishing Day. I call upon all Americans to observe
this day with appropriate programs and activities.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this twenty-third day of
September, in the year of our Lord two thousand eleven,

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and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred
and thirty-sixth.
BARACK OBAMA