President Obama Proclaims Saturday As 2011 "National Hunting And Fishing Day"

President urges citizens to go catch some wild food as he hails Administration's conservation efforts...
President Obama has hiked and biked with the First Family through some of America's most stunning National Parks since taking office. He's had one fishing outing, when he donned waders and went after trout on the East Gallatin River near Belgrade, Montana, in August of 2009. This afternoon, the Angler in Chief issued a Proclamation declaring tomorrow, Saturday, Sept. 24th, National Hunting and Fishing Day 2011. There's a foodie moment in the Proclamation as the President urges citizens to pick up their cross bows and rifles, their fishing gear and nets, and get outdoors looking for some wild sustenance. (Above: The Presidential fishing guide reacts as President Obama *almost* hooks a big one in the East Gallatin)

"We have long depended on this land to sustain us, from our Native American ancestors and the settlers on the Eastern Seaboard to the sportsmen and women of today," President Obama writes. "I call upon all Americans to observe this day with appropriate programs and activities."

Conservation funding slashed in deficit proposal...
But the Proclamation is primarily about the importance of conservation, and comes on the heels of the President's new deficit reduction plan, unveiled on Monday, which calls for slashing USDA's budget for conservation initiatives by $2 billion over 10 years. That's $200 million annually.

"Today, we continue the essential work of conserving and sustaining our precious environment," President Obama writes, and points to the America's Great Outdoors Initiative, launched last year, as well as the recently established Federal Interagency Council on Outdoor Recreation, as beneficial programs.

The deficit plan has some conservation advocates worried.  The Administration says that despite the proposed cuts, conservation funding is projected to grow by $60 billion over the next decade, and notes that the private sector must get involved, too.

The President's Proclamation:

Office of the Press Secretary
___________________________

For Immediate Release September 23, 2011

NATIONAL HUNTING AND FISHING DAY, 2011

BY THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

A PROCLAMATION

On vast plains and through dense forests, along rocky riverbanks and atop tranquil lakes, Americans of every age and background cherish their connection to the great outdoors. As we mark National Hunting and Fishing Day, we are reminded of the uniquely American idea that each of us has an equal share in the land around us and an equal responsibility to protect it.

America's hunters and anglers directly experience the endless beauty and reward of our Nation's bounty. We have long depended on this land to sustain us, from our Native American ancestors and the settlers on the Eastern Seaboard to the sportsmen and women of today. Fishing and hunting are traditions that span untold lengths of time, enabling important bonds to the land and between generations to form. Sportsmen also develop unique connections to the land they enjoy, and hunters and fishermen were some of our first conservationists. These relationships are preserved and passed on with pride, along with a deep and abiding respect for nature.

Today, we continue the essential work of conserving and sustaining our precious environment. Our landscapes are not only a source of pleasure, but a valuable resource for our local economies and the livelihood of many across America. Last year, after an unprecedented public engagement effort, with input from across our country, my Administration launched the America's Great Outdoors Initiative. Through this initiative, we are working to meet the unique challenges of environmental stewardship in the 21st century and create community-based solutions for conservation.

As part of the America's Great Outdoors Initiative, we recently established the Federal Interagency Council on Outdoor Recreation to assist with promoting outdoor recreational activities for American families on public lands. By coordinating with State, local, and tribal governments, and other stakeholders, the Council aims to connect our families, and especially our youth, to the rugged beauty of the natural wonders our Nation's hunters and anglers know so well.

Protecting the conservation legacy of our past is the responsibility of all Americans. Working together, we can preserve the wonder of nature while building a future where all Americans are able to enjoy and share in her bounty.

NOW, THEREFORE, I, BARACK OBAMA, President of the United States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and the laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim September 24, 2011, as National Hunting and Fishing Day. I call upon all Americans to observe this day with appropriate programs and activities.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this twenty-third day of September, in the year of our Lord two thousand eleven, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and thirty-sixth.

BARACK OBAMA

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*Photos by Pete Souza/White House. The President was with fishing guide Dan Vermillion in the photos, taken on Aug. 14, 2009.