Great Outdoors Month, 2011

Proclamation 8687 of May 31, 2011

Great Outdoors Month, 2011

By the President of the United States of America

A Proclamation

For generations, America's great outdoors have ignited
our imaginations, bolstered our economy, and fueled our
national spirit of adventure and independence. The
United States holds a stunning array of natural
beauty--from sweeping rangelands and tranquil beaches,
to forests stretching over rolling hills and rivers
raging through stone-faced cliffs. During Great
Outdoors Month, we rededicate ourselves to experiencing
and protecting these unique landscapes and treasured
sites.

As America's frontier diminished and our cities
expanded, a few bold leaders and individuals had the
foresight to protect our most precious natural and
historic places. Today, we all share the responsibility
to uphold their legacy of conservation, whether by
protecting an iconic vast public land, or by creating a
community garden or an urban park. Last year, I was
proud to launch the America's Great Outdoors
Initiative, a project that empowers Americans to help
build a new approach to conservation and outdoor
recreation. My Administration hosted dozens of regional
listening sessions to collect ideas from people from
across our country with a stake in the health of our
environment and natural places. Our conversations with
businesspeople, ranchers, hunters, fishermen, tribal
leaders, students, and community groups led to a report
unveiled in February, America's Great Outdoors: A
Promise to Future Generations, which lays the
foundation for smarter, more community-driven action to
protect our invaluable natural heritage.

Our plan will restore and increase recreational access
to public lands and waterways; bolster rural
landscapes, including working farms and ranches;
develop the next generation of urban parks and
community green spaces; and create a new Conservation
Service Corps so that young people can experience and
restore the great outdoors. To implement these
recommendations, my Administration is dedicated to
building strong working relationships with State,
local, and tribal governments, as well as community,
private, and non-profit partners across America. The
First Lady's ``Let's Move!'' initiative encourages
youth to enjoy what our outdoors have to offer. These
programs and partnerships will improve our quality of
life and our health, rejuvenate local and regional
economies, spur job creation, protect wildlife and
historic places, and ensure our natural legacy endures
for generations to come. All Americans can read the
report and learn more at www.AmericasGreatOutdoors.gov.

As we commit to protecting our country's outdoor
spaces, we also celebrate all they have to offer. Our
public lands and other open areas provide myriad
opportunities for families and friends to explore,
play, and grow together--from hiking and wildlife
watching to canoeing, hunting, and fishing, and playing
in a neighborhood park. These activities can help our
kids stay healthy, active, and energized, while
reconnecting with their natural heritage. This month,
let each of us resolve to protect our great outdoors;
discover their wonders; and share them with our
friends, our neighbors, and our children.

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 2011 as Great
Outdoors Month. I urge all Americans to explore the
great outdoors and to uphold our Nation's legacy of
conserving our lands 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 eleven, and of the Independence of the United
States of America the two hundred and thirty-fifth.