[United States Statutes at Large, Volume 126, 112th Congress, 2nd Session]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

 
PROCLAMATION 8856--AUG. 31, 2012

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


[[Page 2634]]


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.
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.
BARACK OBAMA