President Barack Obama signed into law today a conservation plan that will protect 2 million acres of wilderness and preserve monuments, trails and rivers across the country.

"Our lands have always provided great bounty," Obama said today as he signed the Omnibus Public Lands Management Act, which won final approval last week. "What these gifts require in return is our wise stewardship."

Obama said Monday the most valuable things in life are those already possessed as he signed a massive public lands management act. The law protects land from California's Sierra Nevada mountains to the Jefferson National Forest in Virginia, as well as expands wilderness protection efforts. The new law authorizes as much as $10 billion in spending for wildlife and land protection. It also adds 2 million acres, or about 800,000 hectares, in nine states, including Utah, to the National Wilderness Preservation System. That system currently consists of 10 million acres, or about 4 million hectares, in 44 states.

The measure combines more than 150 individual environmental bills in 1,294 pages to conserve water and protect 1,000 miles of scenic rivers. It also blocks mining and drilling on millions of acres of federal land.

The measure is the culmination of years of effort by conservationists, sportsmen and localities to protect large and small swaths of land across the country.

The legislation also includes the Christopher and Dana Reeve Paralysis Act, which provides funding for research on paralysis, as money for rehabilitation and care of people who are paralyzed.