[Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: GEORGE W. BUSH (2001, Book I)]
[June 4, 2001]
[Pages 607-609]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]
Remarks at Everglades National Park, Florida
June 4, 2001
Thank you all very much. Thank you. Thank you, Brother. [Laughter] I love my brother. People in Florida are lucky
to have this good man as Governor.
I'm honored to be here with two fine United States Senators; thank
you both for being here. Senator Graham, thanks
for flying down with us, and Senator Nelson, it
was good to see you at the airport today. Peter Deutsch--this is his district--Congressman, thanks so
much for coming. We're honored to have you here. Congressman--I just
call her Ileana--[laughter]--thanks so
very much for being here, Ileana, and same to you, Lincoln. I'm honored that you're here. The two chairmen,
Chairman Shaw and Chairman Young, I'm honored that you all are here as well. I don't
see Congressperson Meek--I think she was
going to be here--she's not.
But Jerry, I appreciate you. I appreciate
your staff. I appreciate so very much Maureen Finnerty for giving us the briefing, and I appreciate Larry
Belli as well for taking time to chopper
over this beautiful slice of heaven. Thank you both. And thank all your
staff for making this experience such a meaningful experience for all of
us. It's an honor to be here, especially in these surroundings.
Visitors from around the world come to this beautiful State to see
the coasts and the Keys and the sandy beaches. Today we're standing in
just as wondrous a scene in Florida and just as an important part of
this State. It commands our care and attention. This area needs our
protection, and I am here to join with your Governor in the cause of preserving and protecting the Florida
Everglades.
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Last week I visited the great Sequoia National Park in California.
Just to get there we covered many miles of land that appeared exactly as
it did to the first people who saw it. The same can be said of these
surroundings and of this park. They are here to be appreciated, not
changed. Their beauty is beyond our power to improve.
Our job here is to be good stewards of the Everglades, to restore
what has been damaged and to reduce the risk of harm. The Everglades
National Park was established more than 50 years ago. It is not just a
beautiful place to visit but, as everybody down here knows, is a vital
part of south Florida's ecosystem. The park extends nearly 1.4 million
acres and is our country's largest remaining subtropical wilderness. It
includes most of Florida Bay, mangrove forests, coastal prairie, cypress
forests, pine lands, and freshwater streams that form, as they are now
called, the River of Grass.
We're also visitors today in the home of 68 endangered species and
the only place on Earth where crocodiles and alligators live side by
side. We're kind of hoping that's the way it gets to be in the United
States Congress one of these days. [Laughter]
Over the same half century, since the park was created, south
Florida's population has doubled many times over, and it will continue
to grow. For ages, the waters of the Everglades have sustained animal
life. Today, south Florida's human population relies upon them as well.
Growth and progress are desirable, and environmental destruction is not
inevitable. We must build and plan with respect for nature's prior
claims.
Lost, if we are careless, are the sparrows and wading birds,
panthers and bears who live here, and the chance for future generations
to see these creatures in the place that nature gave them. We must meet
the demands of growth but without harming the very things that give
Florida and the Everglades their beauty.
For its part, the Federal Government carries important
responsibilities and stewardship. It is not enough to regulate and
dictate from afar. To preserve places like this, we must bring to our
work a new spirit of respect and cooperation, what I call a new
environmentalism for the 21st century. This was the spirit behind the
Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan, which passed Congress last
year with strong bipartisan majorities in both Houses. The late Senator
John Chafee of Rhode Island set the law in motion. It was advanced by
the good work of a New Hampshire Senator, Bob Smith, and received crucial support from the Florida delegation,
especially from former Governor and current United States Senator Bob
Graham. It shows--protecting the Everglades shows
that bipartisanship is possible but, more importantly, crucial to doing
the will of the American people.
When we talk about empowering State and local governments to do more
to protect the environment, we do not mean Washington will do less. We
mean that the Federal Government will work more closely and effectively
with people closest to the problem and, therefore, best equipped to
solve it. Everglades restoration is a good example. It is a long-term
commitment shared by the Federal Government and by the State of Florida.
Restoration will not take years, but it'll take decades. It will require
the best efforts of all involved for a long period of time, from
government officials to tribal leaders to landowners and
environmentalists. The hard work, patience, and good will of these
groups have brought us thus far in restoring the Everglades. We will
need the same qualities to finish the job in years ahead.
For my administration, the people of Florida can count on the
commitment to carry out this important project. My budget for next year
proposes an investment of $219 million, a 36 percent increase from last
year. Working together, the State of Florida and the Federal Government
will
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provide nearly $8 billion in the coming decades for Everglade
restoration.
The Federal Government has clear responsibility for the Everglades,
as in each of the nearly 400 other national parks. In recent years, that
obligation has sometimes been neglected. Many parks have lacked the
resources they need for their basic care and maintenance. My
administration will restore and renew America's national parks. Last
week I announced our National Parks Legacy Project, a major investment
in preserving places such as this. We will clear up nearly $5 billion in
maintenance to make our parks more inviting and accessible to all
Americans.
We are also the first administration to request full funding of the
Land and Water Conservation Fund. This fund provides Florida and other
States with the means to set aside new parks, vital habitats, and
restore threatened ecosystems.
To protect our parks and their inhabitants, we must have the best
available information, so I've directed Secretary Norton to prepare an annual report that describes the condition
of our parks and offer specific recommendations to improve them. I've
also asked the people who know our parks best, our rangers, to prepare
stewardship plans.
As many of you know, Florida was recently voted as America's best
State park system. To be the best, you have to assemble the best team
for the job. And joining Secretary Norton in
that effort will be a new Director of the National Park Service. You
know her well. I'm pleased to announce that Fran Mainella, Florida's director of State parks, is my choice to
lead the National Park Service. She's been a steady and conscientious
steward of Florida's 500,000 acres of park lands. With the support of
Senators Graham and Nelson
and their colleagues, I'm hopeful she will soon assume responsibility
for America's more than 80 million acres of parkland. Under her
leadership, the National Park Service will continue to do its very
important work.
I respect our park rangers, the folks who work in our national
parks, a lot. Theirs is an incredibly tough job. Many times it's a
thankless job. So on behalf of your Government and the people of the
United States, thank you for your dedication to America. And thank you
so very much for welcoming us to America's River of Grass.
Thank you all for coming. God bless.
Note: The President spoke at 11:15 a.m. at the Royal Palm Visitors
Center. In his remarks, he referred to Gov. Jeb Bush of Florida;
Representatives Lincoln Diaz-Balart, Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, C. W. Bill
Young, chairman, Committee on Appropriations, and E. Clay Shaw, Jr.,
chairman, Ways and Means Social Security Subcommittee; Jerry Belson,
Regional Director, Southeastern Region, National Park Service; and
Maureen Finnerty, Superintendent, and Lawrence A. Belli, Deputy
Superintendent, Everglades National Park. The President also referred to
Title VI, Section 601--Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan, part
of Public Law 106-541, the Water Resources Development Act of 2000.