[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 37, Number 22 (Monday, June 4, 2001)]
[Pages 830-833]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
Remarks at Sequoia National Park, California

May 30, 2001

    Thank you all very much. Gale, thank you very much. You're going to 
like working for Gale. She's a commonsense person who cares deeply about 
our national park system and about our Nation's environment. I picked a 
fine, fine person to lead this very important agency. And Madam 
Secretary, thank you for traveling with me today.
    Dick, thank you very much for your fine hospitality. It's a 
fantastic trip up to Moro Rock. I'm a survivor of the march up to Moro--
[laughter]--led by Debbie Bird, chief ranger. What a fantastic hike it 
was. It's a spectacular place. And it must be a joyous place to work. 
And for all of you who work on behalf of the people of the United States 
and the Park Service, I thank you very much for your service.

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    I'm so very pleased that three Members of the United States Congress 
are here, three really fine public servants: Cal Dooley, Gary Condit, 
and George Radanovich. Thank you all so much for coming.
    I, too, want to thank the board members of the Sequoia Fund and the 
board members of the Sequoia Natural History Association. Thank you for 
working with these fine public stewards to make sure this park offers 
this beauty for every citizen who wants to come here.
    Any day that you can take in sights like these is a great day. It 
has been a great day for me. This place leaves each of us with a feeling 
of incredible humility. That's one reason why it's so important. In our 
daily lives we're surrounded by things of our own making, buildings and 
machines and goods we create ourselves. There's much to admire and 
appreciate in the works of man. But come here and you're reminded of a 
design that is not our own. Here we find a grandeur beyond our power to 
equal.
    We're standing amongst the largest trees on Earth, and some of the 
very oldest. When the Mayflower arrived on the eastern shore of this 
continent, the great sequoias were already here. When the seal was fixed 
on the Magna Carta, the great sequoias were already here. They were here 
when the Roman Empire fell, and they were here when the Roman Empire 
rose. And had Christ himself stood on this spot, He would have been in 
the shade of this very tree.
    When men and women walk into a setting like this, we must walk with 
care. Of all the forces on Earth, only man is capable of cutting down a 
sequoia, and only man is capable of fully appreciating its beauty.
    And fortunately, more than a century ago, the Government of the 
United States stayed the hand of all who would destroy this place and 
these trees. That decision, by President Benjamin Harrison, reflects an 
ethic of respect for the natural world that was once shared only by a 
few but is now a basic commitment of American life.
    Our duty is to use the land well and, sometimes, not to use it at 
all. This is our responsibility as citizens, but more than that, it is 
our calling as stewards of the Earth. Good stewardship of the 
environment is not just a personal responsibility; it is a public value. 
Americans are united in the belief that we must preserve our natural 
heritage and safeguard the land around us. This belief is affirmed in 
our laws.
    With more than 80 million acres under protection, our National Park 
System has set the standard for the world in preserving natural lands. 
We've given a reprieve to our national symbol, the bald eagle. Through 
cooperative efforts with wildlife biologists and private landowners, the 
condors are back in the wilds of California. Americans have come to 
understand that other creatures need the room to roam and places to 
live.
    Other laws express this same commitment. Our lakes and rivers are 
much cleaner than they were 30 years ago. Firm limits on toxic emissions 
have greatly improved the quality of the air we breathe. And I'm proud 
that it was my dad's signature on the Clean Air Act Amendments of 1990 
that helped reduce acid rain and urban air pollutions.
    Over the last three decades, nearly 3,000 hazardous waste facilities 
have been closed. We've made much progress in ridding our towns and 
cities of brownfields, and even more progress will be made over the next 
several years. And the Environmental Protection Agency has begun or 
completed cleanups in more than 90 percent of the sites targeted under 
Superfund.
    This marks tremendous progress in protecting our Nation's 
environment. It's not the doing of a single party or the branch of 
Government or a State or a community or a group; it's been the work of 
Presidents and Congresses and Governors, as well as landowners, 
environmentalists, and local leaders. All have responded to the appeal 
of conscience and the clear wishes of the American people.
    Today I continue to speak about my conservation policies and the 
principles that will guide them. These policies reflect the vital role 
we each play as stewards of our lands and the Federal Government's part 
as steward of nearly one-third of the American landmass. And they 
reflect that, while we've made great progress, much more must be done to 
protect the environment.
    In spite of the successes of the past 30 years, at times we've seen 
needless conflict

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and policies that have done more harm than good. Today, we must seek the 
best ways to achieve the common goal of leaving to posterity a nation of 
fresh air, clean water, and natural beauty. These policies arise from 
the conviction that a healthy environment is a national concern and 
requires an active National Government. At the same time, States and 
localities have their own responsibilities for the environment. They 
have their own authority, too. And usually they have a better grasp of 
the problem and what is needed to solve it. Washington has sometimes 
relied too much on threat and mandate from afar, when it should be 
encouraging innovation and high standards from the people closest to the 
land.
    My administration will adopt a new spirit of respect and 
cooperation, because in the end, that is the better way to protect the 
environment we all share--a new environmentalism for the 21st century. 
Citizens and private groups play a crucial role. Just as we share an 
ethic of stewardship, we must share in the work of stewardship. Our 
challenge is to work in partnership. We must protect the claims of 
nature while also protecting the legal rights of property owners. We 
will succeed, not by antagonizing one another but by inviting all to 
play a part in the solutions we seek.
    For the Federal Government, good stewardship begins right here, in 
this and in the hundreds of other park areas across America. Washington 
has a very clear and direct responsibility for these lands. Yet many 
parks have gone years without receiving the kind of care and upkeep the 
American people expect. More than 287 million people now visit our 
national parks each year. At the same time, however, many of our parks 
have gone neglected. So, today I'm announcing the National Parks Legacy 
Project. My administration will make a major investment in our national 
parks to preserve the legacy of protection for future generations. We 
will spend $5 billion over 5 years to clean up the backlog in 
maintenance and make our parks more inviting and accessible to all 
citizens.
    We're the first administration to request full funding for our 
country's Land and Water Conservation Fund, to provide needed dollars to 
help local folks meet conservation concerns.
    This park is a model to follow. The Park Service is nearing 
completion of a project to remove structures once thought necessary but 
which now threaten to damage the roots of the sequoias. In my budget, I 
propose spending $1.5 billion to help complete this project. Working 
with the local community and the Sequoia Natural History Association, we 
will offer the young and old alike an opportunity to learn more about 
the wonders of nature.
    In all our parks, we want visitors to feel welcome and to enjoy the 
experiences that nature and history have to offer. Future renovations 
will make this more possible by adding, for example, many more miles of 
carefully drawn hiking paths. Here again, Sequoia is a model, allowing 
for more visitors without destroying the very things that draw people 
here, the scenery, the quiet, the animals left unharmed in their natural 
habitat. And we will leave them that way.
    Our parklands are home to thousands of species of flora and fauna. 
And as stewards of these lands, the Federal Government has the 
responsibility to protect and nurture them in their habitats and enhance 
the science that helps to protect biodiversity. For the next 5 years, 
we'll protect nearly 4,000 miles of river and restore nearly 9,000 acres 
of parklands to their natural conditions. We have more than doubled the 
budget to help us better study our parks' natural resources, learn 
better ways to protect and restore them, and teach visitors about how 
they can help.
    My administration will also pass new rules to help remove haze in 
many of America's national parks. Our national parks are for all to 
visit and all Americans to enjoy. And we will continue our work to make 
these national treasures accessible to those with disabilities and to 
welcome people of all backgrounds. And to make sure that we're achieving 
our goals in these areas, I'm asking our park rangers to prepare 
stewardship plans for each park in America. I'll also direct Secretary 
Norton to prepare an annual report describing the condition of our 
parks, with recommendations of ways to improve them.
    Some fear that places like this are scenes from a passing world. 
They're not. They will

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be here as long as we're willing to show careful regard for the 
environment. This is a great responsibility. I strongly believe our 
country is equal to it.
    America, itself, is just 225 years old, a momentous era and yet so 
short a time in the life of the world. We cannot see into the centuries 
ahead, but we can be sure, in a place like this, that we're in the 
presence of enduring things. And it will be to our lasting credit if 
these works of God are still standing a thousand years from now.
    Thank you for having me.

Note: The President spoke at 9:40 a.m. at the Giant Forest Museum. In 
his remarks, he referred to Secretary of the Interior Gale A. Norton and 
Richard H. Martin, Superintendent, Kings Canyon and Sequoia National 
Parks.