NOTICE OF A PUBLIC LISTENING SESSION ON THE PRESIDENT'S AMERICA'S GREAT OUTDOORS INITIATIVE
America's Great Outdoors Youth Listening Session
August 5th, 2010
Hyde Park, New York
"It's a recognition, passed down from one generation to the next, that few pursuits are more satisfying to the spirit than discovering the greatness of America's outdoors."
-President Barack Obama, April 16, 2010
Dear Friends,
On April 16, 2010, President Obama established the America's Great Outdoors Initiative to develop a 21st century agenda for conserving the outdoor spaces that help make America special. The President understands that efforts to protect and restore the lands and waters that we love and to reconnect people to the outdoors must begin in our communities. For this reason, he has called upon senior government officials to host a series of public listening sessions in cities, towns and rural areas across the country.
Young people play a critical role in shaping our country's environmental future. When the President established the America's Great Outdoors initiative, he asked that, "special attention…be given to bringing young Americans into the conversation." We want to engage you in this conversation from the beginning, and ensure that your voices are heard in the end.
Next week, the leaders of the America's Great Outdoors initiative are coming to the Hudson Valley to hear from you. Please join us for a public listening session at the Henry A. Wallace Visitor and Education Center in Hyde Park, NY on August 5th:
Who: Young people from the Hudson Valley
What: A discussion on America's Great Outdoors
When: Thursday, August 5th, from 3:00 to 5:00 p.m.
Where: Henry A. Wallace Visitor and Education Center
Home of FDR and FDR Presidential Library
4079 Albany Post Road
Hyde Park, New York 12538
(Directions: http://www.fdrlibrary.marist.edu/map.html)
This event is hosted by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the Department of the Interior, and the Environmental Protection Agency.
There will be a general America's Great Outdoors Listening Session the following day, Friday, August 6th from 9:00 a.m. to noon at Marist College Student Center in Poughkeepsie, NY. (Directions at http://www.marist.edu/about/directions.html.) Youth are encouraged to attend both the general listening session from 9:00 a.m. – noon at Marist College and this youth event.
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To ensure that we have sufficient space for everyone, we encourage you to let us know byTuesday, August 3if you are able to attend one or both of these listening sessions. You can do so by sending an email with your name, email address, and telephone number to joseph.heller@ny.usda.gov.
Thank you for your support. We hope to see you in the Hudson River Valley on the 5th!
The America's Great Outdoors Team
For more information on this initiative, please visit www.doi.gov/americasgreatoutdoors