President Obama visiting Yosemite 6/17-6/17

[maverick]

Yosemite NP:
Yosemite National Park anticipates an extremely busy weekend, as record visitation continues and the park prepares for President Obama’s historic visit to Yosemite June 17-19. The White House announced last week that the President and First Family will celebrate Father’s Day weekend with a family trip to Carlsbad Caverns National Park and Yosemite National Park.

Heads up, traffic will be extremely busy.

[dave54]

Good time to stay away. The increased security makes a giant headache for everyone, including the casual visitor who did not go to see the president.

[rlown]

I get email from the whitehouse.. still not sure why

anyway, this is why he's there (apparently):

Why the President is traveling to Yosemite today:
National parks are an American invention. They are treasures in our national inheritance -- millions of acres of public lands and waterways -- that one generation passes on to the next. These beautiful spaces offer adventures for our children, essential protection for our wildlife, and support for local economies.
Yet, we aren't entitled to them. Our public lands need our protection -- they need our dedication to their upkeep and our commitment to their expansion.
And it falls on the shoulders of each new generation to carry on this stunning inheritance, because even though our national parks are vital to our future, the consequences of climate change are becoming more evident every day.
That's why the First Family is traveling to Carlsbad Caverns and Yosemite National Parks this weekend.

Not only are they celebrating the National Parks' 100th anniversary, they're highlighting the critical role our parks will play in America's next century.
You can follow the First Family's trip this weekend on our live blog.
That's also why President Obama has taken unprecedented action to invest in America's natural resources, setting aside more public lands and water in his two terms than any president in American history. He is America's most prolific conservationist -- and he's not done yet.
Here's what you need to know about President Obama's historic conservation record:
• Protected more than 265 million acres of America's public lands and waters -- more than any other president in history.
• Dedicated unprecedented attention and resources to restoring iconic places like the Chesapeake Bay, California Bay-Delta, Great Lakes, and Everglades.
• Designated more than 2 million acres of federal wilderness and protected thousands of miles of trails and more than one thousand miles of rivers.
• Oversaw more wildlife recoveries under the Endangered Species Act than under any previous administration.
• Launched Every Kid in a Park, which gives fourth graders and their families free access to parks.
Get the full record on how the President has protected our treasured national resources.
You can also help celebrate and support our national park system by sharing photos of your favorite park with the hashtag #FindYourPark.

for fun, https://www.facebook.com/WhiteHouse/vid ... =2&theater

[rlown]

As a green meadow waved in the breeze behind him, Obama marveled at Yosemite’s natural beauty even as he warned of imminent threats posed by climate change.

He pointed to the drying of Yosemite’s grasslands and the shrinking of its largest glacier, which once stretched a mile wide. He cited shifts in the historic bird ranges and said alpine mammals such as pikas had been forced farther up slopes to escape rising temperatures.

Well, maybe the POTUS should drive up like the rest of us instead of dropping two helos on his precious grasslands.

source: http://www.pressdemocrat.com/news/57533 ... rtslide=15

[austex]

Russ,
I had to look up POTUS; didn't know what that was, thought it was like POS!
Even if he had to travel by measly means of presidential limo the roads would have been blocked off of traffic anyways.
BTW I could just envision Mark dirtbagging it with a sign and dangling Golden Age Pass or a $20 looking for a ride on the side of the road as the motorcade went by!

[rlown]

Russ,
I had to look up POTUS; didn't know what that was, thought it was like POS!

Kind of is

Mark is working the store at TM. Pretty sure he won't see the Prez..

[creekfeet]

Didn't care much for him as a president, but I appreciated that George W. Bush had the good sense to visit Sequoia rather than Yosemite while in office.

[freestone]

I was glad to see that he made the trip, with his family on Father's day. The perfect backdrop for a presidential message on family values and the environment.