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White House Conference Sets Stage for New Era of Conservation The White House Page 1 of Get Email Updates Contact Us White House Conference Sets Stage for New Era of Conservation EXECUTIVE OFFICE OF THE PRESIDENT COUNCIL ON ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY WASHINGTON,D.C.20503 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: March 2,2012 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—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,21'`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. • 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. http://www.whitehouse.gov/administration/eop/ceq/Press_Releases/March_2_2012 3/13/2012