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.
A member of the National Park Service, left, leads Malia Obama, President Barack Obama, first lady Michelle Obama and Sasha Obama on a tour of Carlsbad Caverns in Carlsbad Caverns National Park, Carlsbad, N.M., June 17, 2016.x
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.
via Voice of America http://ift.tt/1Ow89ZM
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