#ElPrezatElCap: Obama takes Father’s Day visit to Yosemite
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During his time in office, Obama has protected more public lands than any other president. Now he’s taking the First Family on visit to Yosemite in the National Park Service’s Centennial year.
This weekend, President Barack Obama will take a Father’s Day respite in Yosemite National Park.
The nation’s “Outdoorist in Chief,” as the Outdoor Industry Association calls him, has done more to protect public lands than any other president in history.
“The fact that they [the Obama family] are choosing to take this vacation and celebrate family time in national parks is really making a loud and clear statement about the value he places on outdoor recreation,” said Alex Boian, senior director of government affairs for OIA, “and the importance of national parks for him personally and his administration.”
He’s genuinely interested in spending family time outdoors, added Jess Wahl, government affairs manager for OIA. He’s putting public lands in the limelight during the National Park Service’s Centennial year.
“From the very highest level of the federal government to the smallest towns… your community, your economy, sees a significant return on your investment in outdoor recreation,” Boian said.
In Alaska, for example, tourists and residents spend roughly $9.5 billion annually on outdoor recreation, directly supporting 91,600 jobs. That’s huge, given the population is just about 730,000.
A photo posted by Kevin Jorgeson (@kjorgeson) on Jun 15, 2016 at 2:19pm PDT
OIA has been working with the White House to make the most of this trip for the industry. For the first time, climbers will do an Instagram takeover of the White House’s account, and you’ll see photos from the likes of Jimmy Chin and Kevin Joregson starting Friday.
Since he took office, Obama has protected 265 million acres of public land. To show your support – and thank the Obama administration for supporting our $646 billion industry – follow along this weekend with Katie Boue, of the #OIAroadshow, who will be in Yosemite covering the first family’s visit. Find her on Twitter and Instagram at @katieboue.
Share the photos below with #ElPrezatElCap to spread the word.
