Protecting America's Great Outdoors

Here's what's going on at the White House today.         DAILY SNAPSHOT Thursday, September 04, 2014             Featured Protecting America's Great Outdoors Yesterday marked the 50th anniversary of the Land and Water Conservation Fund Act and the Wilderness Act -- two landmark pieces of conservation legislation. Using revenues from offshore oil and gas development, the Land and Water Conservation Fund has increased access to the outdoors, protected iconic places like National Parks and Civil War battlefields, and advanced more than 40,000 local projects. And thanks to the Wilderness Act, more than 109 million acres of wildland have received our country's strongest protections. But protecting the outdoors isn't just good for our air and water -- it's good for our economy, too. In 2012, more than 900 million visits to federally managed lands and waters helped support over $646 billion in spending on outdoor recreation. Find out how these acts are protecting America's lands and boosting local economies.       Top Stories "We Are Stronger Because We Are Democracies" At the Nordea Concert Hall in Tallinn, Estonia yesterday, President Obama spoke to students, young professionals, and civic leaders about the enduring strength and promise of democracy. READ MORE President Obama Names Megan Smith U.S. CTO, Alexander Macgillivray Deputy U.S. CTO Today, President Obama announced that Megan Smith will serve as the next U.S. Chief Technology Officer (CTO) and Assistant to the President, succeeding Todd Park, and that Alexander Macgillivray will serve as a Deputy U.S. CTO. READ MORE New Report Shows that Slow Health Care Spending Growth Continued in 2013, While Near-Term Trends Remain Encouraging New estimates out yesterday from the Office of the Actuary at the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services show that national health expenditures rose at historically slow rates in 2013, continuing the exceptionally slow growth in health costs seen in recent years. This slow growth, which is thanks in part to the Affordable Care Act, is already generating major benefits for both the federal budget and our economy. READ MORE       Today's Schedule All times are Eastern Time (ET) 4:40 AM: The President and Prime Minister Cameron visit a school 6:00 AM: The President joins a meeting on Ukraine 7:25 AM: The President is greeted by NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen and Prime Minister Cameron 7:30 AM: The President takes an official family photo 8:00 AM: The President joins NATO leaders for a meeting on Afghanistan 11:45 AM: The President joins NATO leaders for a meeting of the NATO-Ukraine Commission 3:15 PM: The President arrives Cardiff Castle 3:30 PM: The President takes an official family photo 3:40 PM: The President participates in a leaders' working dinner 7:00 PM: The Vice President and Dr. Jill Biden host a reception for military athletes representing the United States at the Invictus Games   Facebook     Twitter    |   More Ways to Engage Did Someone Forward This to You? Sign Up for Email Updates This email was sent to e0nstar1.blog@gmail.com Unsubscribe | Privacy Policy Please do not reply to this email. Contact the White House The White House • 1600 Pennsylvania Ave NW • Washington, DC 20500 • 202-456-1111