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

 
PROCLAMATION 8988--MAY 31, 2013

Proclamation 8988 of May 31, 2013

Great Outdoors Month, 2013
By the President of the United States of America
A Proclamation
The United States is blessed with a wealth of natural diversity that
remains at the heart of who we are as a people. From breathtaking
seascapes to the limitless stretch of the Great Plains, our natural
surroundings animate the American spirit, fuel discovery and innovation,
and offer unparalleled opportunities for recreation and learning. During
Great Outdoors Month, we celebrate the land entrusted to us by our
forebears and resolve to pass it on safely to future generations.
We owe our heritage to the work of visionary citizens who believed that
our obligations as Americans are not just to ourselves, but to all
posterity. It is up to all of us to carry that legacy forward in the
21st century--which is why I was proud to launch the America's Great
Outdoors Initiative to bring innovative strategies to today's
conservation challenges. Alongside leaders in government and the private
sector, we are taking action to expand outdoor opportunities in urban
areas, promote outdoor recreation, protect our landscapes, and connect
the next generation to our natural treasures. And by tapping into the
wisdom



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of concerned citizens from every corner of our country, we are
finding new solutions that respond to the priorities of the American
people.
At a time when too many of our young people find themselves in sedentary
routines, we need to do more to help all Americans reconnect with the
outdoors. To lead the way, First Lady Michelle Obama's Let's Move
Outside! initiative encourages families to get out and enjoy our
beautiful country, whether at a National Park or just outside their
doorstep. And through the 21st Century Conservation Service Corps, young
men and women will get hands-on experience restoring our public lands
and protecting our cultural heritage.
Fortunately, we do not have to choose between good environmental
stewardship and economic progress because they go hand-in-hand. Smart,
sustainable policies can create jobs, increase tourism, and lay the
groundwork for long-term economic growth. For example, our National
Travel and Tourism Strategy aims to bring more people to all of our
national attractions, including our public lands and waters, and the
five new National Monuments I was proud to designate earlier this year.
Our natural spaces are also laboratories for scientists, inventors, and
creators--Americans who sustain a tradition of innovation that makes our
country the most dynamic economy on earth.
For centuries, America's great outdoors have given definition to our
national character and inspired us toward bold new horizons. This month,
let us reflect on those timeless gifts, and let us vow to renew them in
the years 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 June 2013 as Great
Outdoors Month. I urge all Americans to explore the great outdoors and
to uphold our Nation's legacy of conserving our lands and waters for
future generations.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this thirty-first day of
May, 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