For Immediate Release
Office of the Press Secretary
June 4, 2001
Remarks by the President at Royal Palm Visitors Center
Everglades National Park, Florida
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Remarks by Deputy Superintendent of Everglades National Park
11:15 A.M. EDT
THE PRESIDENT: 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. (Applause.)
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, Chairmen Shaw and Chairmen
Young, I'm honored that you all are here, as
well. (Applause.) 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. (Applause.)
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. (Applause.)
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 will
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 goodwill 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. (Applause.)
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 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. (Applause.) 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. (Applause.) 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 Maniella, Florida's Director of State Parks --
(applause) -- is my choice to lead the National Park Service.
She has 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 park land. (Applause.) Under her
leadership, the National Parks 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. And so on behalf of
your government and the people of the United States, thank you for your
dedication to America. (Applause.) And thank you
so very much for welcoming us to America's River of Grass.
Thank you all for coming. God
bless. (Applause.)
END
11:26 A.M. EDT
Remarks by Deputy Superintendent of
Everglades National Park
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