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             Obama Stresses Need for Preservation in Yosemite Visit

   by VOA News

   President Barack Obama touted his administration's efforts on the
   environment Saturday during a visit to Yosemite National Park, but he
   said much more needed to be done preserve the country's national parks.

   Obama and his family were in California on a Father's Day weekend trip
   in which they celebrated the 100th anniversary of the creation of
   America's national park system.

   Yosemite is one of the country's top attractions for its natural
   beauty. The backdrop as the president spoke was Yosemite Falls, a
   cascade of water pouring more than 700 meters down a sheer
   mountainside.

   During his talks with park officials, Obama said, he learned Yosemite
   is already experiencing the effects of climate change: Meadows are
   drying out, bird migrations are shifting elsewhere and higher
   temperatures are sending some animals to higher altitudes.

   Since taking office in 2009, Obama said his government has protected
   well over 100 million hectares of public lands and water, more than any
   previous U.S. administration. A large part of the protected land is a
   marine sanctuary located in the Pacific Ocean. He also cited his
   administration's victories in providing endangered-species protection
   for animals including the Louisiana black bear.

   ''Park system additions

   Obama has added 20 sites or monuments to the national park system while
   in office. Half of those were approved by Congress, while Obama created
   the other half by using the Antiquities Act, a law signed in 1906 by
   then-President Theodore Roosevelt, an early advocate of preserving the
   nation's natural resources.

   For Obama, who has made the fight against climate change a priority
   during the past eight years, in the face of opposition by the
   Republican-controlled Congress, the law has provided a good way to take
   action on environmental issues.

   "There is plenty to celebrate when looking at the past 100 years" of
   the parks system, Obama said Saturday.

   But he added, "When looking at the next 100 years, the task of
   protecting our parks is more important."

   "Make no mistake, climate change is no longer just a threat. It's
   already a reality." The president noted that "Yellowstone's glacier,
   once a mile long, is almost gone," and he said rising temperatures
   could mean no more glaciers in Glacier National Park and no more Joshua
   trees in Joshua Tree National Park.

   "That is not the legacy we want to leave behind," he said.

   ''On Friday, Obama, his wife and their daughters toured a maze of
   caverns beneath the desert at Carlsbad, New Mexico, before flying to
   Yosemite, the country's oldest national park.

   The Interior Department says tourism at national parks this year is on
   pace to beat last year's record of 305 million visitors, who spent
   $16.9 billion in and near the parks.

   Some members of Congress accuse Obama of exceeding his authority and
   argue that the government should not acquire more land until it can end
   a backlog of maintenance projects for current parks.

   Environmental groups have urged Obama to do even more to preserve
   public spaces before he leaves office in January.

   ''

   ''

   ''


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   [1]http://www.voanews.com/content/obama-stresses-need-preservation-yose
   mite-visit/3382152.html

References

   1. http://www.voanews.com/content/obama-stresses-need-preservation-yosemite-visit/3382152.html