Page:United States Statutes at Large Volume 108 Part 6.djvu/991

 PROCLAMATION 6670—APR. 14, 1994 108 STAT. 5559 nal care and vigilance if it is to continue to grow and prosper and shine. NOW. THEREFORE, I, WILLIAM J. CLINTON, President of the United States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim Wednesday, April 13, 1994, as the 251st Anniversary of the Birth of Thomas Jefferson. I encourage all Americans to reflect upon his words and deeds and to rededicate themselves to making our Nation one of which he would be proud. Additionally, I call upon the people of the United States to observe this occasion with appropriate programs, ceremonies, and activities. IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this thirteenth day of April, in the year of our Lord nineteen hundred and ninety-four, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and eighteenth. WILLIAM J. CLINTON Proclamation 6670 of April 14, 1994 National Park Week, 1994 By the President of the United States of America A Proclamation Theodore Roosevelt once said that nothing short of defending this country in wartime "compares in importance with the great central task of leav- ing this land an even better land for our descendants than it is for us...." In the movement to acquire and preserve areas of outstanding scenic or historical significance, Roosevelt blended science and morality in a highly effective and nonpartisan way. The idea of creating national parks first attracted attention in the second half of the nineteenth century, when America's receding wilderness left our natviral resources vulnerable to misuse and exploitation. The Yellowstone National Park Act of 1872 set aside the world's first national park and led the way for Federal protection of exceptional lands for public use. As the number of early parks increased, many recognized the need for their collective management. The National Park Service was created by an act of Congress signed by President Woodrow Wilson on August 25, 1916. Today, almost 78 years later, the National Park Service oversees 367 national parks, including historic sites, monuments, parks, lakeshores, seashores, rivers, and scenic trails. The growth of the park system is a result of the American public's desire to protect the best and most significant treasures of our Nation. National parks across the country, from Denali National Park in Alaska to Acadia National Park in Maine, allow us to learn more about our environment; they teach us to respect our lands and to care about endangered plant and animal species. Their spectacular scenic beauty and wide variety of wildlife link man and nature intrinsically and imiversally. The cultural and historic parks connect us with the spirit of

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