    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: William J. Clinton (1996, Book II)]
    [October 12, 1996]
    [Pages 1817-1818]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    The President's Radio Address
    October 12, 1996

        The President. Good morning. Today is Columbus Day, marking the day
    an Italian explorer came upon the New World. It's a day that holds
    special significance and much pride for Italian-Americans, Spanish- and
    Hispanic-Americans, and all Americans who dare to dream and reach for
    new horizons. All of these people have shaped who we are, and today we
    all celebrate their contributions.
        We can only imagine the beauty of the land the explorers found. In
    the centuries since as we grew, our environment and resources often paid
    a price. Some have been depleted, destroyed, endangered, and some,
    thankfully, have been preserved, restored, and replenished. This doesn't
    just happen. Every generation must work to ensure that the next
    generation can enjoy the blessings of America in clean air and pure
    water. We must work to pass upon to our children the Earth that God gave
    us.
        In just a few moments, I'll sign into law a bill to help us protect
    our environment, the Water Resources Development Act. And with me here
    in the Oval Office is someone who has devoted much of his life to a
    better environment, our Vice President, Al Gore. I'd like him to tell
    you what this bill will do.

    [At this point, Vice President Gore explained that the bill would
    advance the administration's commitment to save the Everglades and
    Florida Bay by ensuring clean and abundant water, strengthening the
    relationship between the Federal Government and the State of Florida,
    and giving the Army Corps of Engineers new tools and authority to
    protect the Nation's water resources.]

        The President. Thank you, Mr. Vice President.
        This new law reflects our commitment to manage wisely our Nation's
    water resources and preserve the environment even as we balance the
    budget, but our work is not done. Today I am also announcing my
    intention to sign the parks bill which Congress has approved. This

    [[Page 1818]]

    bill will create or improve almost 120 national parks, trails, rivers,
    or historical sites in 41 of our States. It will preserve the historic
    Presidio, a former Army post in San Francisco, by creating a nonprofit
    trust to run it as a national park.
        This bill will save the Sterling Forest on the New York and New
    Jersey border, just 40 miles from midtown Manhattan, where families go
    for recreation and which millions of people depend upon for clean water.
    This forest was denuded a century ago by industry, but it grew back, and
    we must protect it.
        And this bill will help to restore 11,000 acres of the tallgrass
    prairie in Kansas, an ecosystem of grass as tall as 9 feet, trees,
    flowers, birds, and other wildlife. This bill will bring back other
    overlooked natural sites all around our Nation.
        These are our national treasures. When we maintain our national
    parks, nourish our wildlife refuges, protect our water, and preserve
    places like the Everglades, we are standing up for our values and our
    future, and that is something all Americans can be proud of. God created
    these places, but it is up to us to care for them. Now we are, and we're
    doing it the right way, by working together.
        I'm pleased that Congress turned aside confrontation to enact these
    laws in a bipartisan manner and in the public interest. Five hundred
    years ago, no one could have imagined the greatness that would bloom
    between our shores, nor foreseen that the nation born here would become
    the model for people of all kinds working together for the common good.
    Preserving our environment and restoring its wonders are for our common
    good.
        Let us truly celebrate this day as a day of rediscovery, a day in
    which we pledge to keep working across the lines that divide us to make
    America more beautiful and better than ever.
        Thanks for listening. Now I will sign the Water Resources
    Development Act.

    Note: The address was recorded at 8:38 a.m. in the Oval Office at the
    White House for broadcast at 10:06 a.m. S. 640, approved October 12, was
    assigned Public Law No. 104-303.