The Progressive

NewsWire

A project of Common Dreams

For Immediate Release
Contact:

Shannon Andrea,
NPCA Director of Media Relations,
Phone:
202.365.5912

Obama Family to Visit Acadia National Park This Weekend

National parks conserve our heritage, protect wildlife, and connect families to America’s Great Outdoors

WASHINGTON

Marla O'Byrne, President and CEO, Friends of Acadia:

"We welcome President Obama and his family to Acadia National Park,
as they have again chosen to join the millions of American families who
vacation together in our treasured national parks. During their visit
this weekend, the First Family will once again experience first-hand why
so many Americans value our national parks and America's Great
Outdoors.

"We wish the First Family an enjoyable Acadia experience, and hope
the President will leave understanding through inspiration what our
national parks mean and how important his leadership is in preparing
them for their second century."

Tom Kiernan, President, National Parks Conservation Association:

"Our national parks connect Americans, young and old, to America's
great outdoors and preserve our national heritage. In fact, a recent
poll found that more than 75 percent of American voters think national
parks should play a highly prominent role in President Obama's new
America's Great Outdoors Initiative. From the roaming bison at
Yellowstone to the battlefields of Gettysburg, our national parks are
outdoor classrooms where our kids can learn about and appreciate
wildlife, rivers, canyons, and mountains, places to see our history come
alive, and destinations connecting families to our shared heritage.

"Americans also know that our parks, including Acadia, face
significant problems, and they want them addressed. Through the
America's Great Outdoors Initiative and his upcoming budget proposal,
the president's leadership will be essential to addressing those
challenges and ensuring the parks never return to the crises of the
past. Seventy percent of voters believe these majestic, awe-inspiring
places should be honored, cherished and cared for, not left to crumble
into disrepair. And 76 percent believe it is important to restore our
National Park System by its centennial in 2016.

"A well designed America's Great Outdoors Initiative and a strong
budget provide important opportunities and means to work with local
communities to revitalize, protect and expand our National Park System,
enhance recreational opportunities, and connect the broad diversity of
America's youth and families to our unique, tremendous national
heritage."

NPCA is a non-profit, private organization dedicated to protecting, preserving, and enhancing the U.S. National Park System.