Remarks
Prepared for Delivery
By The
Honorable Gale Norton
Secretary of
the Interior
Take Pride in
Admit
it . . . you’re jealous.
You
are asking yourself, “Why does she get to wear blue jeans, and I don’t?”
I
am wearing these blue jeans and this admittedly fancy work shirt because I will
join a group who will devote this afternoon to taking pride in America…one park
at a time.
Together
with
By
working with fellow volunteers – young and old, Republican and Democrat -- we
lend our hands to heal our land, one acre at a time. And in so doing, we are celebrating the
kickoff of the national, grassroots, bipartisan Take Pride in
Today
we launch this program not just with words, but with our hands, so fitting for
a program whose theme is: “It’s Your Land, Lend A Hand.”
Take
Pride In America, a national partnership, empowers
volunteers from every corner of
Outstanding
volunteer efforts are rewarded with presidential recognition. The program works with governors, and other
partners, to launch volunteer conservation projects.
With
me today are bright stars of the volunteer movement. We have John Corcoran, who
has donated more than 16,000 hours using his inventory and mapping skills. He has documented Fort Stanton Cave National
Natural Landmark in
We
also have Anastacia Hernando with us, who has
dedicated an equal number of volunteer hours at Salem Maritime National
Historic Site in
Joining
us as well is a different sort of star.
I like to think his celebrity comes from being a rancher and
conservationist in my home state of
He
is here to be one of the leaders of this effort as a member of our Blue Ribbon
Panel.
It
is my great pleasure to recognize the actor, conservationist and rancher—Rick Schroder.
Of
course there is another rancher we all know—President George Bush. He is passionate about his ranch in
Take
Pride In America is part of the President’s USA Freedom Corps, dedicated to
fostering a culture of service to others.
Like
the USA Freedom Corps, Take Pride in America functions as a clearinghouse for
volunteer activities under the auspices of many different organizations. It will serve as a rallying point to attract
volunteers, who can then be matched with the activity that most fires their
imagination.
As
the President has said, “Good stewardship of the environment is not just a
personal responsibility, it is a public value…(It) is our responsibility as
citizens…it is our calling as stewards of the earth.”
The
Take Pride in America program honors good stewardship. It recognizes those who work on our public
lands and will be a force in dramatically increasing volunteers.
These
volunteers work so that riverbanks remain wildlife refuges, not dumps. They protect artifacts that are a part of
the
mosaic of our history. And they teach
children what they don’t learn in textbooks.
This
program is already starting to catch fire.
More
than 100 companies and trade associations have signed on to be Charter partners
in Take Pride in America. These Charter
Partners are committing to specific projects that better the environment in
their communities. Derrick Crandall of
the American Recreation Coalition has helped recruit some of these partners.
Let’s
talk about specific contributions. The
Walt Disney Company is volunteering their creative magic. They have committed a
half-million hours of employee time to work on public lands to help support
this campaign.
They
also have helped us design a special kids section on the Take Pride in America
website to give kids tips on how to get involved. Senior Vice President Kym
Murphy is here.
The
National Fish and Wildlife Foundation will soon launch a centennial grant program
for refuges totaling nearly $1 million.
These awards will honor Take Pride efforts to boost volunteerism in the
national refuge system.
Another
charter partner, the National Geographic Society has committed to hold
thousands of wildlife habitat and gardening events in schools across the nation
in cooperation with Take Pride in America.
Yet
another partner, the Professional Paddlesports
Association will take 10,000 children on their first canoe, kayak or rafting
trip. This commitment brings children
outdoors and shows them a world far beyond television and video games.
We
will deliberately engage young Americans in the program. One of our goals is to
reach out to inner-city and urban kids, as demonstrated by our first such
action today at Anacostia.
We
are already involved in a program called Wonderful Outdoor World that gives
inner city, disadvantaged kids the chance to experience the outdoor world. It is an active partnership among youth
organizations like the Boys’ and Girls’ Clubs, the City Park agencies, all
Federal land agencies and the recreation industry.
The
program combines the fun of outdoor camping and recreation like fishing, with
environmental education and community service—such as picking up trash in
parks.
Working
with these students conveys the message that they can improve the environment
of their own neighborhoods—working on local parks or ball fields, or historical
sites. We also want them to experience
the outdoors –and know that their inherited wealth includes all the rivers,
forests and mountains—all of value, and all deserving their care.
Hiking
and biking are becoming more and more popular. While most trail users are
responsible and caring in their outdoor pursuits, the misuse has left trails
badly in need of repair. We hope to work
with trail user groups to restore trails.
This
program benefits all public lands. To
show their support for Take Pride, we have with us today, Mark Rey with the Agriculture Department, George Dunlop with the
Army Corps of Engineers and Emil Frankel from the Transportation Department.
So
how does the Take Pride in America program work? A Blue Ribbon Panel will identify national
projects, raise funds, and spread the word that our public lands are places to
cherish.
These
efforts will be assisted by our Charter Partners, who will use their combined
networks of millions of members and customers, thousands of magazines and
newsletter and websites; and countless annual meetings and events to
communicate the Take Pride in America message to the public. There are a number of our Charter Partners in
the audience, and I would ask all of them to stand.
Take
Pride in America operates at the State level.
We will ask Governors to identify a state volunteer coordinator. By establishing formal partnership agreements
with states, federal and state land managers can identify volunteer
opportunities and enlist public service commitments from citizens.
I
said before, this program is catching fire.
I am pleased to announce that Governor Dirk Kempthorne,
the Republican Governor of Idaho, and Democratic Governor Janet Napolitano of
Arizona have agreed to be Co-chairs of the Council of Governors.
We
are also well underway in naming our Blue Ribbon Panel of advisors who already
include:
This
program is destined for great accomplishments.
Its model is a highly successful program from the Reagan and Bush
Administrations. That program was
responsible for encouraging more than 10 million volunteer hours at a taxpayer
savings of $146 million.
Like
the program we are starting today, almost all the states got involved, as did
some of the Territories. Idaho, for
example, launched an anti-litter campaign where 15,000 Idahoans in 75
communities gathered 135,000 bags of trash.
Now
that is Taking Pride in Idaho.
Since we are here at the National Press Club, I should also mention that under the old Take Pride program, there were media groups that got involved.
WJBK-TV
in Detroit won so many Take-Pride-in-America awards they finally had to put
them into a Hall of Fame in 1991.
The
station was the driving force behind the “Rouge River Rescue.” When they began their efforts, the Rouge
River was one of the most polluted waterways in the country. It was treated as a dumping ground for old
refrigerators, cars, furniture, and grocery carts.
Together
with Gannett Outdoors, Ford Division and Friends of the Rouge, WJBK sponsored a
day-long river cleanup. Every June for
at least five years, some 2,000 volunteers cleaned the river banks and
bottoms. Schools of fish and other
wildlife returned to the river and wetlands were restored. The message delivered by WJBK was: “This is your river, your responsibility.”
The
station used its visibility to promote responsibility and stewardship.
At
Interior we know about stewardship, partnerships and volunteers. Our Department manages more than one-fifth of
the land in the United States.
Our
70,000 employees are hardworking and dedicated.
Their efforts are supplemented by 200,000 volunteers.
Volunteers
help maintain and sustain our national parks, wildlife refuges and fish
hatcheries. They serve as campground
hosts, clear trails, help with seasonal bird surveys, and collect new
information for maps. We couldn’t do a
good job without them.
The
high quality work they perform allows us to offer more services to the American
people. Last year, volunteers for the Bureau of Land Management, the Park Service
and the Fish and Wildlife Service provided service valued at about $100
million.
Now
that is lending a hand.
Think
what we could do with 500,000 volunteers.
It
was my great pleasure today to thank ten remarkable volunteers. Each of these individuals donated more than
4,000 hours to bettering a park, refuge or acre of our public lands. In fact, some recorded more than 16,000
hours—a figure as astonishing as it is commendable.
While
specific tasks performed have varied with their interests, a common bond is
they love this land, and they share a commitment to their fellow citizens. The volunteers here today received the first
of our Freedom Corps/Take Pride awards for volunteerism.
Once
again, our sincere and deep thanks to you.
As exceptional as these individuals are, they are joined by many others
across this land. Interior has more than
1,000 volunteers who have each contributed 4,000 hours.
Of
course, it is important to put this all into context. All of us are transfixed by watching international
events unfold on television.
We
noted after the tragedy of September 11, that the refuges, National Parks and
other public lands in this Nation have the capacity to bring healing and hope
to the spirit. That is just as true as
we deal with the War in Iraq.
One
way to draw on that hope and strength is to get involved with the country we
love.
When
we see what our troops are doing to serve the principles of freedom, it
encourages all of us to think of issues larger than ourselves. That is why this Take Pride in America
program is important to all of us.
Under
the new Take Pride in America program any volunteer with 4,000 hours will earn
Presidential level recognition.
Take
Pride in America gives the Freedom Corps a new outlet for American altruism. It will give volunteers an opportunity to
keep sanctuaries and refuges teeming with wildlife—and to make sure that parks
are cleaned and graffiti is wiped away and stopped—or to clean a vacant lot for
softball.
I
look forward to being a part of this new program, this cooperative conservation
that involves citizen stewards on the land.
What
can you do? Well, it is a great day outside.
We
have extra T shirts.
Anacostia could use
more helpers.
Join
us, lend a hand.
President
Theodore Roosevelt once said, “Far and away the best prize that life offers is
the chance to work hard at work worth doing.”
Take
Pride in
Thank
you.