Presidential Document2021-19329
National Wilderness Month, 2021
Primary source
Metadata and text below are from the Federal Register, a public-domain U.S. government work. Always verify the official published version before relying on it for any legal matter.
Published
September 3, 2021
Signed
August 31, 2021
Issuing agencies
Executive Office of the President
Full Text
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<title>Federal Register, Volume 86 Issue 169 (Friday, September 3, 2021)</title>
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[Federal Register Volume 86, Number 169 (Friday, September 3, 2021)]
[Presidential Documents]
[Pages 49901-49902]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2021-19329]
Presidential Documents
Federal Register / Vol. 86 , No. 169 / Friday, September 3, 2021 /
Presidential Documents
[[Page 49901]]
Proclamation 10248 of August 31, 2021
National Wilderness Month, 2021
By the President of the United States of America
A Proclamation
America's public lands and waters, awe-inspiring
landscapes, and cultural sites reflect a deep and
abiding connection to our natural heritage. Our lands
and waters are rich with diverse plant and animal life,
and we are privileged to be able to enjoy irreplaceable
national treasures that amaze us, inspire us, fill us
with pride, support our lives and livelihoods, and
belong to all of us in equal measure.
During National Wilderness Month, we affirm that our
Nation's public lands and waters must be accessible to
all Americans, we recognize that our lands and waters
can revitalize the soul and solidify our respect for
the natural wonders that surround us and the earth we
share, and we recommit to their preservation and
protection, today and for future generations.
The Wilderness Act, signed into law by President Lyndon
B. Johnson in 1964, opened a new chapter in American
conservation by creating the National Wilderness
Preservation System. The primary goal of the act is to
preserve the places ``where the earth and its community
of life are untrammeled.'' Today, the National
Wilderness Preservation System includes more than 800
wilderness areas spanning more than 111 million acres.
These wilderness areas are located within national
forests, parks, wildlife refuges, and conservation
lands and waters. During the COVID-19 pandemic, many
Americans turned to these areas for physical
recreation, mental well-being, and inspiration, and our
public lands and waters became places of healing and
sanctuary.
But our natural wonders are at risk. Now more than
ever, we must come together to combat the climate
crisis and unprecedented acceleration of species
extinction, to protect and conserve our great outdoors
before it is too late. Since taking office, I have
recommitted the United States to the Paris Climate
Agreement, pushed for stronger action to cut greenhouse
gas pollution, and resolved to strengthen our
resilience against rising temperatures. Additionally,
my Administration's historic ``America the Beautiful''
initiative sets a national conservation goal to invest
in, conserve, connect, and restore at least 30 percent
of the Nation's lands and waters by 2030. These diverse
landscapes and waterways are vital in so many ways:
they provide homes to fish and wildlife, and hold
resources that sustain our own lives, counteract the
damaging impacts of climate change, and underpin our
global economy.
We also recognize that not all Americans have access to
our public lands. My Administration is committed to
ensuring that all peoples and communities have clean
air and clean water, and receive the additional
physical, spiritual, and economic benefits that our
great wilderness provides. As the original stewards of
these lands, Tribal Nations and Indigenous communities
have a sacred connection and deep understanding of our
Nation's wilderness areas, and the history of America's
public lands has too often involved broken promises to
the Native peoples who have lived on them since time
immemorial. I am committed to working in partnership
with Tribal, State, and local partners to find
solutions to our most pressing conservation and
[[Page 49902]]
stewardship challenges, and to honoring the special
relationship of Tribes to their ancestral sacred lands.
This work is urgent.
During National Wilderness Month, let us strengthen our
connection to the American wilderness areas, support
their designation and protection, and work to preserve
the stories they tell, the memories they create, and
the heritage they reflect for all Americans for
generations to come.
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 2021
as National Wilderness Month. I encourage all Americans
to experience our Nation's outdoor heritage, to
recreate responsibly and to leave no trace, to
celebrate the value of preserving an enduring resource
of wilderness, and to strengthen our commitment to
protecting these vital lands and waters now and for
future generations.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this
thirty-first day of August, 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.
<GRAPHIC(S) NOT AVAILABLE IN TIFF FORMAT>
(Presidential Sig.)
[FR Doc. 2021-19329
Filed 9-2-21; 11:15 am]
Billing code 3295-F1-P
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</html>Indexed from Federal Register on September 3, 2021.
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