National Public Lands Day, 2021

Proclamation 10263 of September 24, 2021

National Public Lands Day, 2021

By the President of the United States of America

A Proclamation

On National Public Lands Day, we celebrate America's
beautiful and majestic public lands--those
irreplaceable natural treasures that belong to all of
us in equal measure. Our Nation is blessed with an
abundance of awe-inspiring public lands, including
National Parks, Monuments, conservation areas, wildlife
refuges, forests, grasslands, marine sanctuaries,
lakes, and reservoirs. For Americans in every part of
our Nation, these spaces are invaluable sources of
recreation and education, of spiritual fulfillment and
rejuvenation, and of inspiration and pride.

Since 1994, National Public Lands Day has brought
together hundreds of thousands of volunteers to help
restore these essential places; today, it is the
largest single-day public lands volunteer event in our
Nation. From Shenandoah National Park to Tonto National
Forest, volunteers complete service projects like
building bridges and trails, restoring native
ecosystems, collecting trash, and removing invasive
species. These service projects also give volunteers
the opportunity to learn more about our public lands
and understand the environmental, economic, and health
benefits our natural wonders provide. On this day, all
federally managed public lands and waters will offer
free admission for anyone in America who wishes to
explore these shared spaces.

My Administration is committed to conserving our
precious public lands and waters. Earlier this year, I
signed an Executive Order to create a Civilian Climate
Corps, which will put dedicated Americans to work
conserving and restoring our public lands and waters
for the benefit of all our people. Through our
``America the Beautiful'' initiative, we are also
working with State, local, and Tribal governments as
well as private landowners through voluntary
conservation efforts to achieve our goal of conserving
30 percent of our Nation's lands and waters by 2030.
This decade-long effort will harness the best of the
American spirit to protect our biodiversity, improve
access to public spaces, and conserve and restore the
lands, waters, and wildlife that we all depend on for
generations to come.

Our public lands have provided millions of Americans
with a much-needed reprieve from the stress and
hardships felt during the COVID-19 pandemic. As we
continue to get America vaccinated and defeat the
pandemic, I invite all Americans to recognize the
enormous value--both tangible and intangible--of these
unique natural places and to support their local public
lands and waters through acts of volunteerism and
service. At the same time, we also recognize that not
all Americans have equal access to our public lands. My
Administration is committed to improving equitable
access to nature in every community and to ensuring
that every American has the opportunity to enjoy these
natural spaces that belong to all of us.

NOW, THEREFORE, I, JOSEPH R. BIDEN JR., 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 25,
2021, as National Public Lands Day. I invite all
Americans to join me in a day of service for our public
lands.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this
twenty-fourth day of September, in the year of our Lord
two thousand twenty-one, and of the Independence of the
United States of America the two hundred and forty-
sixth.