A news release from the White House describes the community-based initiatives the Obama administration is pursuing to get more people connected with the world around them. For background, read "No American Left Inside" on Dot Earth: http://nyti.ms/A5mPz3

1. FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Contact: (DOI) 202-208-6416
March 2, 2012 (CEQ) 202-456-6998
(EPA) 202-564-6794
(USDA) 202-720-4623
(DOA) 703-614-3992
White House Conference Sets Stage for New Era of Conservation
Community-driven conservation and outdoor recreation initiatives powering
economy, protecting healthy lands, water and wildlife
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, President Obama and members of his Cabinet convened the
White House Conference on Conservation to engage directly with conservation leaders from all
50 states to strengthen partnerships and identify next steps in advancing community-driven
conservation and outdoor recreation initiatives that are building strong local economies and
healthy lands, waters and wildlife across America.
Today’s conference – titled Growing America’s Outdoor Heritage and Economy – is part of the
President’s America’s Great Outdoors initiative to establish a community-based, 21st century
agenda for conservation, recreation, and reconnecting Americans to the outdoors. The event
brought together hundreds of boaters, hunters, anglers, farmers, ranchers, land conservationists,
historic preservationists, outdoor recreationists, small business owners, local governments, tribal
leaders and other key stakeholders from around the nation to meet with Obama administration
officials to discuss issues surrounding conservation in urban cities and rural communities.
The conference capped a week of conservation announcements, including:
Outdoor Education: On Monday, Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar and Secretary of
Education Arne Duncan announced a new agreement to build programs that use national
parks, national wildlife refuges and other public lands as 21st century classrooms – designed
to benefit teachers, students and parents in rural America and urban classrooms alike. These
programs will connect young Americans to the outdoors, improve environmental literacy,
support experiential learning outside the classroom, and encourage conservation partnerships
at the local level.
Driving Tourism & Recreation: On Tuesday, Secretary Salazar and National Park Service
Director Jon Jarvis released the 2010 Economic Benefits to Local Communities from National
Park Visitation and Payroll Report. According to the report, visitors to the National Park
System contributed more than $31 billion to local economies and supported 258,000 jobs in
2010, an increase of $689 million and 11,500 jobs over 2009.

2. Creating a New Water Trail System: On Wednesday, Secretary Salazar and Assistant
Secretary of the Army for Civil Works Jo-Ellen Darcy announced the creation of a new
National Water Trails System, a network that will increase access to water-based outdoor
recreation, encourage community stewardship of local waterways, and promote tourism that
fuels local economies across America. The Chattahoochee River Water Trail in Georgia was
selected as the first to join the new system.
Conserving 1 Million Acres of Grasslands and Wetlands: Today, Agriculture Secretary
Tom Vilsack announced additional opportunities for producers to enroll land in the
Conservation Reserve Program (CRP), including a total of 1 million acres in CRP initiatives
to preserve grasslands and wetlands. USDA’s CRP has a 25-year legacy of successfully
protecting the nation's natural resources through voluntary participation, while providing
significant economic and environmental benefits to rural communities across the United
States. Under the Obama Administration, USDA has enrolled more than 8 million acres in
CRP. The goal of the new CRP grasslands and wetlands initiative is to increase enrollment of
environmentally sensitive land through targeted signups.
Additionally, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service today announced that they are
recommending a conservation investment of approximately $30 million, or seventy percent
of the Migratory Bird Conservation Fund, in the nation’s prairie pothole region. Long
recognized as America’s “duck factory,” the significant investment will help protect habitat
for the waterfowl and grassland species of the prairies.
Community Engagement: Today, EPA Administrator Jackson joined with federal and
community partners to announce the first Urban Waters Ambassador of the Urban Waters
Federal Partnership. The Partnership, an innovative federal union comprised of 11 agencies
is an effort to help cities, particularly those that are underserved or economically distressed,
connect with their waterways and work to improve them. The ambassador, serving the Los
Angeles River location of the Urban Waters Federal Partnership, is the first of seven to be
sponsored by EPA, USDA and DOI for each of the Urban Waters locations across the
country. Urban Waters Ambassadors will accelerate and coordinate on-the-ground projects
that are critical to improving water quality and public health, and fostering community
stewardship in urban watersheds.
Protecting and Restoring our Waterways and Fisheries: Through the National Fish
Habitat Partnership, Federal agencies are helping state and local governments, landowners,
and community groups to protect and restore our waterways and fisheries. This national
effort has spawned regional and local partnerships. Today the Secretaries of Interior,
Agriculture and Commerce committed to signing an agreement to promote collaborative,
science-based conservation of our waterways and fisheries. The agreement ensures that
Federal resources are effectively focused on locally supported conservation strategies
developed by fish habitat partnerships.
“President Obama launched the America’s Great Outdoors Initiative to create a 21st century
conservation agenda with American people,” said Nancy Sutley, Chair of the White House
Council on Environmental Quality. From investing billions of dollars to restoring places like the

3. Everglades and the Great Lakes, to partnering with private landowners to conserve tens of
millions of acres across the country, the Administration is making it a priority to protect and
restore the places communities depend on.”
“People across the country are coming together to protect and preserve the places that nurture
our souls, provide opportunities for recreation, and power our economies,” said Secretary of the
Interior Ken Salazar, who hosted the conference at the Interior Department. “We know that an
investment in conservation now is a direct investment into our nation’s economy – and one that
will benefit generations to come. Today we heard from the people who are making a real
difference in their communities and discussed how we can be better partners in fulfilling a shared
vision for conservation in the 21st century.”
"President Obama launched the America’s Great Outdoors Initiative to foster a 21st century
approach to conservation that is designed by and accomplished in partnership with the American
people,” said Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack. “Protecting our natural resources creates jobs
in rural communities, preserves habitat for fish and wildlife, and ensures that our nation’s
outdoor heritage will continue to be enjoyed by future generations.”
“Expanding access to outdoor recreation and green spaces can benefit the health and economies
of people and communities across the nation. That’s especially true in our nation’s cities where
parks and waterfront areas can inject new life into urban communities,” said EPA Administrator
Lisa P. Jackson. “We’re glad that agencies throughout the administration are bringing their
expertise to this important initiative, and we’re excited that the 21st century conservation
strategy we’re building continues to be shaped by meeting people where they live, and finding
out how we serve their needs.”
"The Corps of Engineers is proud to have been a part of this important White House conference
on conservation,”said Jo-Ellen Darcy, Assistant Secretary of the Army for Civil Works. “We
look forward to continuing restoration efforts throughout the country. Our role in restoration and
expanding opportunities for communities to participate in it is why we are here today. We look
forward to strengthening our local partnerships and advancing job and volunteer opportunities
related to conservation and outdoor recreation."
The conference featured panels and breakout sessions panels led by conservation leaders such as
Kirk Bauer from Maryland, a disabled Vietnam Veteran who has been serving as Executive
Director of Disabled Sports USA for more than thirty years, and Dave Koehler from California,
who oversees conservation land transactions, river restoration, and environmental education as
the Executive Director of the San Joaquin River Parkway and Conservation Trust.
A full conference agenda is available here.
Locally-led conservation, preservation and outdoor recreation initiatives have been an important
part of the Obama administration’s work. Through President Obama’s America’s Great
Outdoors Initiative (AGO), the administration is opening up access to millions of acres for
recreation, designating thousands of miles of new land and water trails, increasing youth

4. employment in conservation jobs, helping parks and green space become more accessible and
clean in urban areas, and making historic investments in large landscapes such as the Everglades.
The initiative is empowering locally-led conservation and outdoor recreation efforts, from
supporting the working landscapes of the Dakota Grasslands and the Flint Hills in Kansas, to
designating the Fort Monroe National Monument in Virginia, to countless other success stories
across the country.
Click here to read a fact sheet on the Obama administration’s conservation record.
###