Will speak at US/ICOMOS Symposium; Visit San Antonio Missions
 Today and tomorrow, Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar will visit San Antonio to highlight the advancement of the San Antonio Franciscan Missions toward nomination to the UNESCO World Heritage List. During his visit, Secretary Salazar will discuss the importance of preserving the city’s iconic cultural and historic sites to grow domestic and international travel and tourism and create jobs, part of part of Interior’s ongoing efforts to capture and tell a more inclusive story of American history.
On Thursday, May 31, Secretary Salazar will deliver remarks to the 15th annual international symposium of the U.S. National Committee for ICOMOS (International Council on Monuments and Sites), celebrating the 40th anniversary of the World Heritage Convention.
On Friday, June 1, Secretary Salazar will hold a press conference at Mission Concepción to discuss the San Antonio Franciscan Missions and the progress underway toward nomination to the UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) World Heritage List.
Under the Convention, the Secretary of the Interior is charged with identifying and nominating worthy U.S. sites that display superlative cultural and/or natural attributes for designation. The San Antonio Franciscan Missions, currently on the Tentative List of Potential Future Nominations, includes four missions (San Antonio Missions National Historical Park) and the Alamo (Mission San Antonio de Valero).
The visit is part of President Obama¹s America¹s Great Outdoors initiative to establish a conservation ethic for the 21st Century and to reconnect Americans to our nation¹s natural, cultural, and historic heritage. The Obama administration is committed to recognizing and preserving important chapters in the nation¹s story that have not yet been fully told, such as the contributions of Latinos to the building of America.
The visit also builds on the Obama administration¹s recently-announced National Tourism and Travel Strategy, which delivered on President Obama’s call in January for a national strategy to promote domestic and international travel opportunities throughout the United States.
THURSDAY: ICOMOS OPENING NIGHT DINNER
WHO:Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Ken Salazar, Secretary of the Interior
WHAT:Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Remarks to the U.S. National Committee for ICOMOS
WHEN:Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Thursday, May 31, 2012 @ 7:30 p.m. CDT
WHERE:Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Mission San Jose – 1601 San Jose Drive – San Antonio, TX 78214
MEDIA:        Credentialed members of the media are invited to attend. Please RSVP to Eric Foultz at (210) 325-1025 or eric@foultz.com.
FRIDAY: PRESS CONFERENCE
WHO:        Ken Salazar, Secretary of the Interior; Henry Muñoz, Board Member, National Park Foundation; Rachel Jacobson, DOI Acting Assistant Secretary for Fish and Wildlife and Parks; John Lujan, Superintendent, San Antonio Missions National Historical Park
WHAT:Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Press Conference
WHEN:Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Friday, June 1, 2012 @ 10 a.m. CDT
WHERE:       Mission Concepción – 807 Mission Road – San Antonio, TX 78210
MEDIA:Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Credentialed members of the media are invited to attend.
Please RSVP to Al Remley at (210) 304-0431 or al_remley@nps.gov