[United States Statutes at Large, Volume 130, 114th Congress, 2nd Session]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

 
Proclamation 9482 of August 31, 2016

National Wilderness Month, 2016

By the President of the United States of America

A Proclamation

In our Nation's earliest days, a vast majority of North America was
wilderness--from majestic plains and imposing mountain ranges to dense
forests and rushing waterways. Today, protected wild spaces continue to
serve as a backdrop for curious and adventurous Americans to seek

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the thrill and joy of connecting with the sacred spirit of our country's
wilderness, offering a wide variety of activities including hiking,
camping, and climbing. This month, as we cherish our vast and vibrant
natural heritage, we resolve to preserve its splendors for all who will
follow in our footsteps.
Aiming to leave future generations with a ``glimpse of the world as it
was in the beginning,'' President Lyndon B. Johnson signed into law two
historic pieces of legislation that opened a new chapter in American
conservation--the Wilderness Act and the Land and Water Conservation
Fund Act. The Wilderness Act defined our untrammeled lands as wilderness
and created the National Wilderness Preservation System, recognizing
forests, parks, and wildlife refuges as having intrinsic value as wild
lands worth protecting. The Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) was
established out of a bipartisan commitment to ensure that we can protect
lands and waters for use and enjoyment by all our people; throughout the
last 50 years it has supported conservation efforts in every State,
including tens of thousands of State and local projects through billions
of dollars in grants. But a lack of full and secure funding hinders many
important LWCF projects that protect critical habitats and provide
recreational opportunities--which is why I keep calling on the Congress
to pursue permanent funding for the LWCF.
Our great outdoors are home to some of the richest and most beautiful
ecosystems and resources on the planet, and my Administration has made
protecting them a priority. Climate change, one of the greatest
challenges of our time, is already harming many of our wild spaces,
which is one important reason why I have pushed for stronger action to
cut greenhouse gas pollution and strengthen the resilience of our
ecosystems to rising temperatures. In my first year in office, I signed
the most extensive expansion of conservation efforts in more than a
generation. Since then, my Administration has protected hundreds of
millions of acres of land and water, more than any Administration in
history. Through our America's Great Outdoors initiative, we have worked
with local, State, and tribal partners to build a conservation agenda
worthy of the 21st century. And to ensure more Americans can experience
everything the wilderness has to offer, we launched the ``Every Kid in a
Park'' initiative, giving fourth graders and their families free
entrance to our National Parks and other public lands and waters.
It is one of our greatest responsibilities as citizens of this Nation
and stewards of this planet to protect these outdoor spaces of
incomparable beauty and to ensure that this powerful inheritance is
passed on to future generations. During National Wilderness Month, let
us strengthen our connection with these natural treasures and ensure
that the stories they tell and the resources they provide are resilient
and everlasting 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 September 2016 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.

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IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this thirty-first day of
August, in the year of our Lord two thousand sixteen, and of the
Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and forty-
first.
BARACK OBAMA