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Obamas celebrate Father's Day weekend in national parks

Environmental groups are urging Obama not to rest on his laurels when it comes to protecting nature.

By :  dr swati srivastava
Update: 2016-06-20 05:07 GMT
President Barack Obama and the first family celebrated America's cherished natural heritage Saturday during a weekend tour marking the 100th anniversary of the nation's vaunted national park system.
Obama has made protecting nature areas one of the hallmarks of his presidency.
We have more work to do to preserve our lands and culture and our history. We're not done yet,' Obama said in a speech against the spectacular backdrop of Yosemite Falls, the highest waterfall in the park.
With seven months left in Obama's second and final term, environmental groups are urging the president not to rest on his laurels when it comes to protecting nature.
The family outing is reminiscent of one the Obamas made in 2009 to Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming.
Who is going to help me up now?' he added.
At one point, he and first lady Michelle stopped to chat with some kids at a park facility under bright, sunny skies and Mrs Obama asked them what they would do to scare away bears.
The Obamas then sat on the ground for a photo with the group, with the president making sure all kids were smiling.
As the kids started yelling, the president said: Oh, I would get out of here!'
Several hours later, after flying over waterfalls and granite peaks, the first family traveled to Yosemite, known for its giant redwood trees.
How cool is this?', he added as he turned to journalists, although the comment seemed aimed more at his teenage daughters, Malia and Sasha.
The Obamas visited the Big Room, a large cave chamber located 754 feet (230 meters) underground and filled with stalactites and stalagmites. It is also a sanctuary for hundreds of thousands of bats.
On Friday ,the president and his family visited Carlsbad Caverns National Park in New Mexico, which features more than 100 caves, three of them open to the public.
Obama, also using the occasion to tout his environmental record, is the first sitting President since John F. Kennedy in 1962 to visit California's Yosemite National Park.
Environmental groups are urging Obama not to rest on his laurels when it comes to protecting nature.

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