DOI: White House to Hold Conference on Conservation

On Friday, March 2, 2012, the White House will host a conference to spotlight the community-driven conservation efforts that have taken root across the country and to discuss how to build on their success. The conference, Growing America’s Outdoor Heritage and Economy, will explore the link between conservation and strong local economies through tourism, outdoor recreation, and healthy lands, waters and wildlife.

The conference is expected to bring together boaters, hunters, anglers, farmers, ranchers, land conservationists, historic preservationists, outdoor recreationists, small business owners, local governments, tribal leaders and other key stakeholders from around the nation to strengthen partnerships and identify next steps in spurring and supporting successful conservation projects.

As part of President Obama’s America’s Great Outdoors Initiative, the Administration is opening up recreational access to lands and waters, supporting the creation of urban parks and trails, increasing youth employment in conservation jobs and making historic investments in large landscapes such as the Everglades. The initiative is empowering locally-led conservation and outdoor recreation efforts, from supporting the working landscapes of the Dakota Grasslands and the Flint Hills in Kansas, to designating the Fort Monroe National Monument in Virginia, to countless other success stories across the country.

WHO:  Ken Salazar, Secretary of the Interior
Tom Vilsack, Secretary of Agriculture
Nancy Sutley, Chair, White House Council on Environmental Quality
Lisa P. Jackson, Administrator, Environmental Protection Agency
Jo-Ellen Darcy, Assistant Secretary of the Army (Civil Works)

WHAT: White House Conference on Conservation: Growing America’s Outdoor Heritage and Economy

WHEN: Friday, March 2nd, 2012
11:00 a.m-12:00 p.m. Registration
12:00 p.m-5:30 p.m. White House Conference on Conservation
                     
Full agenda details are forthcoming

The forum will be live streamed at www.doi.gov/live

WHERE:  
Department of the Interior
Yates Auditorium
1849 C Street NW
Washington, DC 20240

MEDIA RSVP: Due to limited space, interested media must RSVP with their NAME, POSITION, (Reporter, TV Camera, Photographer, etc.) MEDIA OUTLET, PHONE and EMAIL for each person planning to cover the event to interior_news@ios.doi.gov. Credentials will be distributed on site. Media logistics will be sent to those who are confirmed.