Please join senior representatives from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), the U.S. Department of the Interior (DOI), the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and other federal agencies for a public listening session on conservation, recreation and reconnecting people to the outdoors. The session will be held Friday, August 6, from 9 a.m. to 12 noon in the Hudson River Valley—whose magnificent landscapes served as the cradle of American History.

This past April at the White House Conference on America’s Great Outdoors, President Obama signed a memorandum establishing the America’s Great Outdoors Initiative to develop a conservation agenda worthy of the 21^st century and to reconnect Americans with our great outdoors. The President understands that protecting and restoring the lands and waters that we love and reconnecting people to the outdoors must happen at the local level.

Therefore, President Obama directed the principal leaders of the America’s Great Outdoors Initiative to travel across the country to listen and learn from people directly involved in finding grassroots solutions to conserving our lands and waters and reconnecting Americans to the outdoors. The President indicated that the sessions should engage the full range of interested groups, including tribal leaders, farmers and ranchers, sportsmen, community park groups, foresters, youth groups, businesspeople, educators, state and local governments, and recreation and conservation groups.

The Hudson Valley has an important place in conservation history and was one of the first regions in the country designated by Congress as a National Heritage Area. Its natural resources and beauty have inspired collaborative conservation initiatives that are helping revitalize urban and town centers and rural communities. A private conservation movement is protecting working farms, safeguarding critical water resources, and supporting a vibrant tourism industry. Public-private partnerships are helping people enjoy, protect and revitalize the river and Valley.

Listening Session and Discussion Information

When: Friday, August 6, 9:00 a.m. – noon

Where: Marist College Student Center, Poughkeepsie, NY

For directions, go to: http://www.marist.edu/about/directions.html.

Who: Senior Washington, D.C., and local leadership from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the U.S. Department of the Interior, the Environmental Protection Agency and other federal agencies will be present to hear your thoughts and to participate in a conversation with you about America’s Great Outdoors.

Please Register: This event is free and open to the public. For planning purposes it would be helpful if you would pre-register by Tuesday, August 3 by sending an email to joseph.heller@ny.usda.gov with your name, the name of the organization with which you are affiliated, if any, and your telephone number. Include in your email your primary area of interest by noting your 1^st, 2^nd, and 3^rd choice of the Concurrent Breakout Listening Sessions listed below. We will make every effort to accommodate everyone. Please also let us know if you have any special needs.

In the event you are unable to participate in person, please submit your comments and stories via the America’s Great Outdoors website at http://www.doi.gov/americasgreatoutdoors/.

If you have questions, please contact Joseph Heller at (845) 883-7162, Extension 104 or joseph.heller@ny.usda.gov.

We hope you will participate and look forward to hearing from you.

Choice of Concurrent Breakout Listening Sessions:

1. Conservation of working farms, forests, and coastal areas.
2. Reconnecting people with the outdoors through recreation and education.
3. Creating a healthy river: Conserving and restoring important habitat and blueways.
4. General session for those who do not want to designate a specific topic.