[United States Statutes at Large, Volume 127, 113th Congress, 1st Session]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

 
PROCLAMATION 8961--APR. 19, 2013

Proclamation 8961 of April 19, 2013

National Park Week, 2013
By the President of the United States of America
A Proclamation
For generations, ordinary Americans have taken it upon themselves to
preserve our national landscape. They have been public servants and
private citizens, patrons and Presidents--visionaries who saw our
natural inheritance not as something to be used up, but as a treasure to
be passed on. During National Park Week, we celebrate the wonders
entrusted to us by our forebears and recommit to preserving them for our
children and grandchildren.
We also take time to remember that in places like the Grand Canyon and
the Teton Range, we see more than raw beauty. We see expansive freedom
and rugged independence. We see the big ideas and bold ingenuity that
inspired the first conservationists. We see our belief in collective
responsibility--the notion that all of us have an equal share in this
land and an equal obligation to keep it safe. These spaces embody the
best of the American spirit, and they summon us to experience it
firsthand.
This week, the National Park Service will make that opportunity
available to everyone by offering free admission to every park in the
Union from April 22 through April 26. And to keep building on our
country's long legacy of conservation, I have been proud to establish
eight new National Monuments in the past year. These sites honor rich
histories, spectacular landscapes, and pioneering heroes of the American
story, from Colonel Charles Young to Harriet Tubman to Cesar Chavez.
They also reflect my commitment to advancing a 21st-century conservation
strategy that responds to the priorities of the American people,
strengthens local economies, and protects our most special places for
generations to come.
As we mark this week, I encourage all Americans to experience our
natural heritage by stepping into the outdoors. To find a National Park
in your area, visit www.NPS.gov.


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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 April 20 through April
28, 2013, as National Park Week. I encourage all Americans to visit
their National Parks and be reminded of these unique blessings we share
as a Nation.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this nineteenth day of
April, in the year of our Lord two thousand thirteen, and of the
Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and thirty-
seventh.
BARACK OBAMA