[Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George W. Bush (2004, Book I)]
[April 22, 2004]
[Pages 649-653]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]
Remarks on Earth Day in Wells, Maine
April 22, 2004
So great to be here, thanks. Gosh, my outlook improved dramatically
the minute I stepped on this beautiful piece of land. Thanks for having
me, and thanks for coming out to say hello. It's my honor to celebrate
Earth Day with you in a State that I know pretty darn well, in a State
that I love, in an area that I now realize I know well because it was
right off the beach here that old Number 41
and I liked to try to catch striped bass. [Laughter] It's a pretty good
place to fish around here.
Before I start going on too long about Mother Earth, I do want to
recognize my mother on Earth. Thanks for coming, Mom. I hope you're up the road making my bed. [Laughter]
Earth Day has become a great tradition in our country. It's a day
that reminds us that we must be good stewards of the land around us.
That's what this day says to us, and we're lucky to live in America,
because we're blessed with such unbelievable lands. As the President,
I'm fortunate to be able to travel and see a lot of our beautiful
Nation, whether it be from the--from Maine to the Big Sur in California
or parts of the great State of Texas that are beautiful to look at too.
The importance about Earth Day is, is that it reminds us that we
can't take the natural wonders for granted. That's what Earth Day says
to me, and I hope it says to you as well that we have responsibilities
to the natural world to conserve that which we have and to make it even
better. That's the call for Earth Day. In the years since Earth Day was
established, America has made great strides in honoring the ideal of
conservation and living by high standards of stewardship. We've made
tremendous progress during the last 4 years. I have a responsibility as
the President to put people in an administration that understands the
importance of conserving our natural resources and making them better.
My administration has put in place some of the most important
antipollution policies in a decade, policies that have reduced harmful
emissions, reclaimed brownfields, cut phosphorus releases into our
rivers and streams. Since 2001, the condition of America's land, air,
and water has improved.
Today I want to talk about wetlands. The old policy of wetlands was
to limit the loss of wetlands. Today I'm going to announce a new policy
and a new goal for our country. Instead of just limiting our losses, we
will expand the wetlands of America.
I appreciate Paul very much. He's a--obviously
a good manager. First of all, he loves what he does. He cares deeply
about the mission. He's got such a joyous smile on his face that he must
be an easy fellow to work with. And I want to thank him for his
hospitality. He didn't even complain about the size of my entourage or
the imposition that we must have imposed on Paul and his great staff. I
also want to thank the staff for working hard to make sure this slice of
heaven is as beautiful as possible.
I appreciate so very much State Senator Paul Davis joining us today--Senator. Yes, thanks for coming. I
suspect there are some local officials who are here. Thanks for being
here. I like to remind local officials to make sure that you empty the
garbage and fill the potholes. [Laughter]
I had the honor of meeting Ray and Becky
Davis at the airport. They're local citizens.
The reason I bring up Ray and Becky is because they're the parents of
three sons who are now wearing the uniform of the United States
Military. [Applause] Sergeant Graham Davis,
Marine Corps, thank you, sir; Private First Class Stuart Davis, who is now in Afghanistan--make sure, Graham, that
you--make sure
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you tell your brother Stuart and brother Bradley that the people not only applauded you, but they
applauded them as well.
I want to thank the Davis family for their steadfast support of
working to secure this--of raising sons who are working hard to secure
this country. These have been tough times for America, but we're doing
the right thing. We're spreading freedom and peace so that our children
can grow up in a peaceful world.
What's interesting about this year's Earth Day is that it falls in
the middle of National Volunteer Week. This week we honor the 64 million
Americans who volunteer. And one of my responsibilities is to call
people to a higher calling. If you're not volunteering, do so. It will
make somebody else's life better, including your own. But what makes
this beautiful part of the world go is the 400 volunteers who work here,
the 400 volunteers who are exercising their responsibility as citizens
to make this beautiful part of the world even more beautiful and more
meaningful.
And so, first, I want to thank all the volunteers who have taken
time out of their life to make this such a special spot. Particularly, I
want to thank Frank and Carol
Heller. I met Frank and Carol at the
airport when I landed here in Wells--in Sanford. And I gave them the
President's Volunteer Service Award. I did so because of their strong
commitment and work here, but I suspect they'll say they received the
award on behalf of the other 398 people who make this such a special
place. Thank you all for working hard here.
And I saw firsthand why you like to come. It's 1,600 acres of salt
marshes and beaches and forests and freshwater wetlands. The Wells
Reserve is an example of how committed people come together to not only
protect but to improve the environment. It's a good example of what I'm
going to talk about here in a little bit.
Community and corporate partners, along with the Federal Government,
are working on the Drakes Island marsh restoration--community and
corporate partners. In other words, in order to make sure the
restoration works, it requires more than just Government. It requires a
buy-in by community partners. It requires a buy-in by corporate America.
See, corporate America has a responsibility to the communities in which
they live. They've got the responsibility to tell the truth when it
comes to their balance sheets, and they've got the responsibility to
contribute to the quality of the communities in which they live.
The Laudholm Farm, where so much environmental education and
research takes place, is supported by a private trust.
You support the private trust in Kennebunkport, don't you,
Mom? So do I. Ray
Bradbury--we've got Bradbury's Market. [Laughter] The guy who owns it
has put together a land conservation trust in Kennebunkport. We're proud
supporters of it. In other words, citizens can make a significant
difference in improving the quality of the environment, just like those
who have done so at the Laudholm Farm.
And at the Little Estuary, I saw the volunteers working on platforms
that allow students and researchers to view the marsh to understand the
marsh without harming the grasses or the shoreline. There are good
people working together for this reserve, for the sake of wildlife, for
the sake of understanding and knowledge, and for the sake of future
generations of people who are fortunate enough to come here.
The work you're doing here to preserve wetlands is an important part
of a national commitment. For many years, our Nation has been working to
prevent the net loss of wetlands, and there's a reason why. America's
wetlands are the habitat for thousands of species of wildlife. Just hang
out, out in these wetlands out here, and you'll know what I'm talking
about.
Up to half of all North American bird species nest or feed in
wetlands. About half of all threatened and endangered species use
wetlands. There's some endangered
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species using the wetlands right here on this piece of property. Our
wetlands help to trap pollution. What I bet a lot of people don't
understand is the wetlands help to clean the water as well. They reduce
the impact of floods. Wetlands stabilize shore areas. As well wetlands
provide recreational opportunities for guys like me who like to fish and
for people like my wife who like to watch birds.
Wetlands have been called the nurseries of life, and their well-
being is vital to the health of our environment. Three decades ago, the
United States was losing almost 500,000 acres of wetlands each year.
Americans understood that couldn't be sustained, and so the Nation began
to take action. Every level of government, joined by landowners and
conservationists, worked hard to turn the situation around. In other
words, it took a collaborative effort of people who cared about the
environment.
Our Government began to provide substantial financial incentives for
landowners to return farmland to wetlands. Taxpayer dollars have been
matched by States and localities and conservation groups. It's the
classic public-private partnership for the good of the environment.
Our national commitment to wetlands is showing good progress--really
better than good progress when you think about the fact that we were
losing a half a million acres a year not so many years ago. According to
figures announced today by the Department of Agriculture, we have
greatly reduced the annual loss of wetlands. And that's a positive
development. We're nearing a longstanding goal of actually restoring as
many acres of wetlands that are lost. The figures show that on
agricultural lands, we've seen some gains for the first time, which
leads me to believe we can do a better job in the Nation if we focus our
attention.
So today I'm committing our Government to a new policy. We will move
beyond the no net loss of wetlands in America to having an overall
increase of Americans' wetlands over the next 5 years. We can achieve
this goal. It is a realistic goal. To do so, we will work to restore and
to improve and to protect at least 3 million acres of wetlands over the
next 5 years.
First, we will restore at least one million acres of wetlands that
do not exist today, through expanded incentive and partnership measures
such as the Department of Ag's Wetlands Reserve Program and through the
new grants under the Interior Department's North American Wetlands
Conservation Act, which, by the way, was signed by your husband, my dad.
Listen, there's a lot of things we can do through these programs. We
can set streams back on their natural courses, allowing wetlands to
return. We can provide incentives to our farmers and ranchers to stop
cultivating areas that were once wetlands and make them wetlands again.
A good way to make sure we restore wetlands is to take those lands that
were once wetlands and provide incentives to the landowners and say,
``Here's an opportunity for you to contribute to the increase of
wetlands in America for the good of the country, for the good of the
habitat of our country, for the good of the wildlife of our country.''
All these efforts will add to the beauty of our Nation and provide
habitats for millions of birds and fish.
Second, we will improve the quality of another million acres of
existing wetlands through expanded public-private efforts such as the
Interior Department's Partners for Fish and Wildlife Program. I know
we've got some people from Fish and Wildlife here today. I want to thank
you for serving you country so admirably. I appreciate your service.
As well we will use NOAA's Coastal Wetlands Planning, Protection and
Restoration Program. I know we've also got NOAA representatives here
too. I thank you for coming, and thanks for your good work.
Too many wetlands are degraded and can no longer support healthy
wildlife populations, so they need to be restored to
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health. In other words, they need to be nurtured. They were once
wetlands areas, and they need to be nurtured back to be a wetland.
Tomorrow I'm going down to Florida. I'll be seeing Brother. I'll be glad to give him your best. [Laughter] And we're
going to go to the Everglades. It's a great wetlands area. The problem
is, is that the wetland--the Everglades have been invaded by a--by
certain plant species, nonnative plants, that are going to choke out the
wetlands. And so one of the things we're going to do is to encourage
programs that will remove these invasive species so that native
vegetation can return and the wetlands can be revitalized. In other
words, we can restore wetlands so they function better, so they function
as the Almighty wanted them to function in the first place. As they
become healthier--[applause].
And finally, we will protect an additional one million acres of
wetlands that are currently at risk by increasing grants for land
protection programs and by making it easier for farmers and other
landowners to participate in these programs. We'll encourage these
landowners to place easements on their wetlands, on the wetland portion
of their property, so that migratory birds can rest on their long
journey. In other words, with proper Government policy, we can encourage
proper habits by private landowners to understand that they can do a
better job with their land.
We'll do the ducks and other birds a good turn by not only improving
the lands--the wetlands but also the lands near the wetlands. It's one
thing to have a good wetland, but they've got to have a place for the
ducks to nest as well. And so the program is to be wise about the
incentive programs we put in place. I'm confident these measures will be
not only appreciated by people but by birds. [Laughter]
To meet the goal of wetland expansion, the Government must commit
money, and my administration is prepared to do so. The first thing we've
done in the--2002, I signed the farm bill. And one of the most important
aspects of the farm bill was the conservation titles. It was a
significant expansion of Federal money available to encourage people to
expand areas of their farms and ranches, like wetlands.
And secondly, the budget I proposed--or sent to Congress, proposes
to spend $349 million on two key wetlands programs, which is an increase
of more than 50 percent since I first took office. These monies will
help. These monies will provide proper incentive for good conservation
measures.
But the thing I think is very important to emphasize here is that
good conservation and good stewardship will happen when people say,
``I'm just not going to rely upon the Government to be the solution to
the problem.'' I've come here because this is a great example of people
seizing the initiative, a great example of where the Government can help
but not stand in the way of commonsense policies that will make a
significant difference to the wetlands and the native species. And it
sends a clear signal to everybody else around our country that if you
want to be a responsible citizen, do something about the quality of the
life in the community in which you live.
It's my honor to come here today to celebrate this fantastic
project, to remind our fellow citizens that we all have got
responsibilities, to declare that the Federal Government has set a new,
important goal of increasing the net--the wetlands all across America,
and to ask God's blessings on this beautiful part of the world and the
people who live here.
Thank you all for coming.
Note: The President spoke at 12:12 p.m. at the Wells National Estuarine
Research Reserve. In his remarks, he referred to Paul Dest, manager,
Wells National Estuarine Research Reserve; Thomas Bradbury, executive
director, Kennebunkport Conservation Trust; and Gov. Jeb Bush of
Florida. The National Volunteer Week proclamation of
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April 16 is listed in Appendix D at the end of this volume.