Washington ( CNN ) -- President Barack Obama called Wednesday for a series of steps to help Americans conserve and get in touch with nature , including full funding of the $ 900 million Land and Water Conservation Fund for only the third time in its existence . At a White House event , Obama also proposed creating a Conservation Service Corps to help young people find work in the outdoors , and extending the tax deduction for donating private land for conservation . The proposals are part of an action plan by the America 's Great Outdoors Initiative , which Obama launched last year to promote community conservation efforts to protect the nation 's natural heritage and help people experience it . `` These are the right steps to take for our environment , but they 're also the right steps to take for our country , '' Obama said , citing job creation and economic growth , scientific research and helping American kids experience nature . The action plan calls for creating more urban parks , restoring rivers and creating recreational `` blueways '' -- river trails designed to generate economic activity , and increasing support for protecting rural landscapes . Mindful of the budget battle in Washington , Obama noted that existing government revenue from oil and gas extraction would pay to fully fund the Land and Water Conservation Fun , which was created in 1965 to help purchase land and water property for conservation . It would be only the third time in history that the fund reached its maximum level of $ 900 million , Obama said to applause , adding that `` our attitude is if you take something out of the Earth , you have a responsibility to give a little bit back to the Earth . '' The Conservation Service Corps would be roughly modeled on the Civilian Conservation Corps of the 1930s to help young Americans find work involving nature and conservation . `` To encourage young people to put down the remote and video games and go outside , we 're going to establish a new Conservation Service Corps so they can build a lifelong relationship with their national heritage , '' Obama said to more applause . Every year , America loses about 1.6 million acres of its working farms , ranches and forests to development , according to a report by the U.S. Department of Agriculture . CNN 's Sarah Jones contributed to this story .
President calls for creating a 21st-century conservation ethic . The plan includes fully funding the Land and Water Conservation Fund . A new Conservation Service Corps would provide outdoor jobs for young people .