WASHINGTON, D.C. – On Tuesday, July 8, Secretary of the Interior Dirk Kempthorne, Undersecretary of Agriculture Mark Rey and other federal leaders will join National Geographic Society President and CEO John M. Fahey in a ceremony at the society’s headquarters unveiling a ground-breaking framework to formally adopt the principles of geotourism.
| Who: | Dirk Kempthorne, Secretary, U.S. Department of the Interior John M. Fahey Jr. President, CEO, National Geographic Society Terry Garcia, Executive Vice President, National Geographic Society Mark Rey, Undersecretary for Natural Resources and the Environment, U.S. Department of Agriculture Mary Bomar, Director, National Park Service Jerold Gidner, Director, Bureau of Indian Affairs Henri Bisson, Deputy Director, Bureau of Land Management Kenneth Stansell, Deputy Director, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Sally Collins, Associate Chief, Forest Service Other Invited Guests |
| What: | Formal Signing Ceremony and Announcement of a Memorandum of Understanding to Promote Geotourism on Federal and Indian Lands. This event will celebrate National Geographic's new agreement with the Bureau of Indian Affairs, Bureau of Land Management, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, National Park Service, and the U.S. Forest Service. |
| When: | Tuesday, July 8, 2008, 1 p.m. |
| Where: | National Geographic Society Board Room 1600 M Street, N.W. Washington, D.C. |
| Why: | The Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) is a first step to promote geotourism as a collaborative approach among governmental agencies and private partners. Pioneered by National Geographic since 2002, geotourism refers to tourism that helps sustain or enhance the geographical character of a place — its environment, culture, aesthetics, heritage and the well-being of its residents. The new agreement promotes geotourism as it relates to areas that include national parks, national forests, BLM lands, Indian lands, national wildife refuges, other public lands and adjacent communities. |
| Media: | All credentialed media are invited to attend and photograph the event. It will be of special interest to travel, environmental and natural resources media as well as other media interested in national parks, forests and other public lands, Indian lands, and the link between tourism and economics. |