Americans have a proud tradition of working together – from the ground-up – to conserve farmland and open space for future generations, restore rivers and streams, protect areas for hiking and biking, preserve beaches and coastlines, conserve wildlife habitat for fishing and hunting, and restore the cultural and historic sites that tell America’s story.  In fact, community-driven efforts to conserve America’s land, water, and wildlife are a major reason why we are blessed with the parks, refuges, forests, and open spaces that we enjoy today.

On April 16, President Obama launched the America’s Great Outdoors Initiative as a way to create a national dialogue about conservation in America.

As part of this dialogue, we brought together ranchers, farmers and forest landowners, sportsmen and women, state and local government leaders, tribal leaders, public-lands experts, conservationists, youth leaders, business representatives, and others to learn about some of the smart, creative ways communities are conserving outdoor spaces.

Today we are releasing the America’s Great Outdoors report “A Promise to future generations,” which is a result of that dialogue. Recognizing that the best ideas come from outside Washington, the report released today outlines ways in which the Federal Government will help empower local communities to accomplish their conservation and recreation priorities. Last summer, senior Administration officials held 51 listening sessions across the country to gather input from Americans about the outdoor places and activities that they value most. These sessions drew more than 10,000 participants and over 100,000 online written comments, shaping an action plan that we are releasing today.

We hope you will join our continuing conversation about America’s Great Outdoors. Please check out and comment on our national progress. We want to hear from you about the places you love, your community’s efforts to protect them, and how we can better support modern-day land and water conservation efforts happening in communities across the country.

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