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 123STA T . 3 687PROCL A M AT I O N 8 409— S E PT. 3 , 2009 aw a ren e s s of w h a tAm er ic ans can d oto p re v ent and contro l prostate cancer .INW I T N ES SW H E R E OF, I have here u nto set m y hand this thirty - first day of Au g ust, in the year of our L ord two thousand nine, and of the Independence of the U nited States of America the two hundred and thirty-fourth. B ARA CK OBA M A Proclam a ti o n8409 o fSep tem b er 3,2 009 Nation a lW il der ne s s M ont h,20 0 9BythePr e sid e n t of the U nited S t a tes of Am eri c a A Proc l amation The American wilderness has inspired wonder and imagination for centuries and is an irreplacea b le part of our Nation ’ s heritage. Even be- fore the birth of the United States, visitors from near and far were struc k by its splendor and purity. The unaltered American landscape stood apart from any other in the world. D uring the years of westward e x pansion, the wilderness frontier became synonymous with pioneer values of steadfastness and rugged independence. This month, we cele- brate this history and renew our commitment to preserving the Amer- ican wilderness for future generations. Forty-five years ago, the United States achieved a landmark success in protecting these magnificent wild spaces. The Congress passed and P resident Lyndon B. J ohnson signed the Wilderness Act, which sought to secure ‘ ‘for the American people of present and future generations the benefits of an enduring resource of wilderness.’’ The Act has been widely recogni z ed as one of our Nation’s most important conservation laws. This law and the National Wilderness Preservation System it es- tablished have served as a model for wilderness protection laws in many of our States and in countries around the world. The vision and structure established in the Wilderness Act continue to receive broad support. This pioneering law created a framework for bringing Federal public lands under additional protection. Over the past 45 years, the Congress has enacted numerous laws extending wil- derness protection to vast swaths of public lands. These laws have en- j oyed bipartisan support. Ranchers and anglers, small-business owners and conservationists, and Americans of diverse backgrounds have come together to preserve many of our Nation’s most cherished public spaces. My Administration has already demonstrated a commitment to pro- tecting our wilderness heritage. On March 30, 2 00 9 , I signed the Omni- bus Public Land Management Act of 2009, which established the most recent additions to our Wilderness System. As my Administration con- tinues to prioritize wilderness protection, we will work closely with the Congress, organizations, and private citizens to ensure that all stakeholders can make their voices heard. United by a common pur- pose of preserving our precious natural spaces and our wilderness her-