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| Gale Norton, Secretary of the Interior |
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| Gale Norton Visited With Conference Participants |
COOPERATIVE CONSERVATION DEFINED BY GALE NORTON, SECRETARY OF THE INTERIOR
Keynote speaker at the White House Conference on Cooperative Conservation, August 29-31, in St. Louis, Misouri, Gale Norton,
Secretary of the Interior noted, "The phrase 'cooperative conservation' has a 'bumper sticker' ring to it...The great 20th
century conservationist Aldo Leopold envisioned conservation springing up in backyards, on farms, at workplaces, in communities.
He anticipated a backyard conservation ethic alongside the legacy of conservation made possible through our national parks,
wildlife refuges, and other public lands." Norton remembered "twenty years ago, while I was Associate Solicitor at the Interior
Department, I began to see what government and private parties can accomplish if they work together. In the mid-1980’s,
just a handful of California condors remained in the wild" and "the decision about what to do was filled with emotion. Some
said the birds should be allowed to stay free and die out with dignity." A partnership between the Fish and Wildlife Service,
the L.A. Zoo and the San Diego Wild Animal Park and the Peregrine Fund, the Ventana Wilderness Society, and the World Center
for Birds of Prey in Boise, Idaho stopped the condors' extinction. Norton said she "will never forget the awesome sight of
condors soaring over the Grand Canyon. Now, over a hundred magnificent condors fly once again above the mountains and cliffs
in California and Arizona. Cooperative conservation is not new, but, like the California condor, it is spreading its wings
and taking flight. It is gaining momentum as America’s citizens seek ways to supplant conflict with cooperation to fulfill
their environmental goals. It is flourishing as we strive for partnered problem-solving that blends environmental, community,
and economic goals. It is blossoming as we aspire for environmental excellence that springs from innovation, engagement, and
on-the-ground insights."
Norton noted the "profound impact on environmental protection at the national level" of former Environmental Protection
Agency Administrator Bill Ruckelshaus who when he became the very first Administrator of the EPA in 1970 faced said Norton
"incredible challenges...Our rivers were in such a dismally polluted state that the Cuyahoga River had recently caught fire.
Few automobiles had emission control devices; leaded gasoline was still a problem. Smokestacks belched pollutants and smog
blanketed our cities. Environmental issues at that time were fraught with conflict. Some people thought environmentalism was
just an unnecessary expense and a passing fad. Environmental protection circa 1970 was all about conflict. It was a real struggle
to set the direction of the country. Ultimately, our nation chose the path of greater environmental protection, and the transformation
has been dramatic. Our air and water are far cleaner than they were 3 decades ago." Norton said thanks to Ruckelhaus' leadership
"there are a growing number of places where people from different constituencies can collaborate to resolve their disagreements"
and that with the foundation for "effective cooperation" and "broadly shared consensus in support of clean air, clean water
and preservation of scenic landscapes" a "new era in environmentalism" has begun.
Norton advocated that "cooperation and win-win solutions are more sustainable than alarmism or winner-take-all conflicts.
This new approach is the most effective way to go beyond enforcing minimum standards to reach for higher levels of environmental
achievement. Cooperative conservation is common sense conservation by people from every walk of life. It is rooted in collaborative
decision-making, shared governance, and bottom-up action. It comes in all shapes and sizes."
Norton recognized that "Nature itself knows no boundaries. Cooperative conservation offers a way to keep intact a medley
of land ownerships, while creating a context for conservation across boundaries through partnerships." Some partnerships involve
single projects while others are "complex partnerships...generating new forms of governance" that are "breathing life into
federalism through creation of compacts, contracts, or new governing boards that oversee adaptive management plans on federal,
state, and local lands. They are bringing citizens into the federal governance equation through advisory boards and cooperative
agreements" and Norton noted "These efforts are making a big difference." Interior’s Partners for Fish and Wildlife
Program has "protected, restored, or enhanced nearly two million acres of wetlands, prairies, and upland habitat since 2001"
equal to the size of Delaware. The DOI and partners through the North American Wetlands Conservation Fund "protect as much
as 600,000 acres of wetlands each year, contributing to the President’s goal of increasing wetlands by 3 million acres
over 5 years. Interior’s colleagues at the Department of Agriculture, EPA, Commerce, and the Defense Department all
augment this tally of conservation results through their partnerships" demonstrating that "even old federal agencies can learn
new tricks - like listening instead of dictating - like focusing on results instead of writing standardized rules." Norton
characterized cooperative conservation to a discovery process which fosters "innovation" and "creativity" as well as drawing
"upon local insights and information so that management decisions take into account local circumstances. With their familiarity
of local places, citizen stewards have knowledge of time, place, and situation - the details that make one location different
from another and put boundaries on what’s doable. Instead of one-size-fits-all rules coming from Washington, local folks
can apply the 'on-the-ground, in-the-dirt, everyday, nose-to-the grindstone' knowledge that improves resource management decisions."
Norton recognized that gathered at the conference were "ranchers, sportsmen, teachers, business executives, and community
activists", "conservation leaders from States, Tribes, and federal agencies" "from Alaska to Florida; from Michigan to Texas"
both urban and rural reflecting "the upwelling of citizen stewardship in this Nation" who "mark a coming of age of cooperative
conservation."
Norton noted cooperative conservation overcomes fragmentary decisions and "issue-specific statutes, often generated piecemeal
decisions and inconsistent or conflicting mandates" addressing "one species at a time; or air-pollution plans took shape in
isolation from plans to reduce water pollution" whereas with cooperative conservation partners put all the pieces together
in a set of coordinated landscape or place-based decisions." Norton said it's not simply about deregulation, noting there
are still irresponsible people who "will engage in activities like midnight dumping of toxic wastes or poaching endangered
species. For them, strong enforcement tools are needed. Instead, our choice is whether we lead with coercion - or whether
we reserve it for those situations where coercion is actually needed." Norton acknowledged that all those assembled has proven
the success of collaborative approaches and offered that she was "pleased to announce today that the Administration will soon
be submitting legislation to further the potential for cooperative conservation. We want to continue the federal government’s
evolution into a valuable partner for your efforts. We hope to keep on furthering the expansion of citizen stewardship, and
our legislation will be designed to provide additional tools for long-term federal involvement in this effort."
Norton cautioned, "Make no mistake. Cooperative conservation is not easy. But it offers a way to achieve enduring conservation
results - a sustainability not possible when decisions are borne from divisiveness and trigger conflict. Cooperative conservation
belongs to every American practicing it in thousands of small and larger acts, all adding up to millions of acres, miles of
waterways, countless species benefits, and complex environmental problems addressed. Above all, through the give and take
of collaboration and partnerships, cooperative conservation offers a way for us to achieve healthy lands, waters and wildlife,
alongside thriving communities."
Lynn Scarlett, Assistant Secretary of the Interior, Shares Her Thoughts on Conservation
and DOI Efforts
As the three-day conference in St. Louis was coming to a close,. the three days of presentations and working sessions on
cooperative conservation seemed to recede in importance as the mammoth task of responding to Katrina consumed the administration
officials. Lynn Scarlett, DOI Assistant Secretary noted frustration on lack of positive press focus on the conference. "Typically
they like stories that have a dynamic tension whereas these are good news stories. My view is that most human action is peaceful
and it's about partnership, and it's about communities coming together and solving problems. That's not the story that's told
in the press. The story that's told in the press is all about divisiveness, tension, crime."
Scarlett said cooperative conservation can't be "fit it into the shoebox of old stories and old frameworks" or "into the
shoebox of environment versus industry, or environment versus economy, you know, instead of telling the new story for what
it is: that these are about folks coming together, having deep differences but turning away from debate towards conversation
to try and get good outcomes."
When asked how conservation and economics are mutually compatible, Scarlett replied, "Well, that plays out in a number
of different ways but first increasingly we see a convergence of enivronmental opportunities with economic opportunities.
For example, I had the opportunity to see a wastewater treatment facility in the southeast where they were being asked to
further improve their water quality and the initial proposal was to build yet another mechanical wastewater treatment facility
and fortunately through the innovation and creativity of folks on the ground who said we can do this differently, we can build
a wetland and the wetland will be utilized to purify the water and we’ll get a double-whammy, we’ll have the pure
water and we’ll have habitat for hundreds of plant and animal species so there’s that environment/economy convergence
and that’s but one small example." Scarlett also pointed out the situation in Idaho where "you have there the demise
of the timber industry. Well, to deliver environmental restoration, conservation, you need a thriving economy. You have to
have a community which itself is economically sustainable so that they have the wherewithal to be able to participate in stream-bank
restoration or whatever it might be."
Scarlett noted new jobs are emerging in environmental restoration and commented that "a lot of this endeavor is and must
be organic, by that I mean bottom-up. We can herald cooperative conservation, we can try with our agencies to support partnering
and so forth, but ultimately that engagement has to be from folks on the ground including youth." Scarlett was pleased "to
see this gathering of people, to see their enthusiasm, see the tangible work that folks are doing and shine a light through
this conference on these efforts."
When asked about the federal government getting out of the way and supporting moving the paper industry from trees to hemp
and kenaf and stopping the polarization from within the government on tree-free paper, Scarlett remarked that "occurs on an
evolutionary not a revolutionary basis and so we are seeing for example the uses of new materials, the lightening if you will
of our environmental footprint in various endeavors whether it be in the use of biofuels, the use of different materials that
have less impact in their extraction and manufacture."
When reminded that tree-free hemp paper is largely unavailable in this country and that kenaf paper is exorbitantly expensive,
Scarlett noted that at the Department of the Interior "we actually have fairly strong purchasing requirements within our agencies
to purchase biodiesel and to purchase for example soy-based, other materials, cleansing materials for example that are biodegrable.
We actually have those provisions. We have provisions for our agencies in the field to utilize alternative energy. We probably
are at Interior one of the world's most extensive users of photovoltaic solar panels, geothermal energy and so forth. So partly
through our own purchasing activities we serve as a model. Can we do more? Yes. It's a balance though because like yourself
we do have to be cost-conscious. It wouldn't be a good service to the American taxpayer if in the end we were paying a 400
percent premium on things. But we do have those goals. We have environmental management systems in place for all of our facilities
so that they're inventorying where their largest environmental loadings are if you will and then trying to mitigate those
but again all of these things are an integrative process. Sometimes when you're at a moment in time, it seems slow, it seems
frustrating, it seems like you're going nowhere but I think cumulatively over time you do see reorientation."
| Kenaf, An Alternative to Tree Paper |
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| Kenaf and Hemp Offer Solutions for Deforestation in Paper Production |
ROLLING STONES KEYBOARD ARTIST, CHUCK LEAVELL, SPEAKS AT CONFERENCE
Chuck Leavell, keyboard player for the Rolling Stones and former member of the Allman Brothers Band attended the conference
with his wife, Rose Lane. Leavell a 1999 recipients of the National Outstanding Tree Farmers of the Year for management of
his forestland, Charlane Plantation authored a book on forestry and conservation, Forever Green: the History and Hope of
the American Forest. Leavell said, "The forums Secretary of Agriculture Mike Johanns is holding for the Farm Bill is an
absolutely wonderful thing to do and I would hope that my fellow tree farmers show up at these forums and voice their opinions.
Traditionally, the farm bill is slanted so much towards agriculture. 6 percent of the programs go to family forests and that's
a very very low percentage. Certainly, I would like to see that improved if possible. Other ways we can have our voices heard,
the American Tree Farm System, ATFS, we have about 50,000 members across America and certainly we speak with one voice and
we do from time to time go to speak to our congressmen, to our senators and voice our opinions on what we think needs to be
done. As I spoke earlier in the presentation tonight, I have a sincere concern about the loss of rural lands to development.
Not going to say I'm anti-growth, we're going to have growth in this country no matter what," rather Leavell advocated "smart
and green-growth" rather than "rampant and rapid growth." Leavell noted the primary federal program available to tree farmers
is "called FLEP, the Federal Lands Enhancement Program. It's a good program. It does indeed help family forest land owners
to get some of the education and funding that they need. I would like to see this program increase quite a lot. I think it
would be quite beneficial and also Sec. Johanns mentioned CRP program. CRP is a great program. It's been incerdibly successful,
however, I think it's worth noting that CRP is not available to families that are already in the process of growing trees.
It has to be converted from agriculture unless you have highly erodable land and I understand the logic behind that but I
think basically I think you're leaving out a lot of forest land owners that could use assistance so I would like to see CRP
changed a little bit to include family forestry."
When asked what advice or wisdom Leavell had for fans and youth also looking to have an impact on the conservation process,
Leavell answered, "Of course, the standard answer is you have to get involved. You have to go to meetings. You have to write
your congressmen, you have to do those things and don't give up. You have to persevere. A lot of times in some of these situations
that I've seen people tend to get frustrated and throw their hands up and walk away but if you are persistent and you know
you're right and you speak up and you follow through with action then you can literally move mountains if you have a mind
to do so."
When asked whether he and the Stones would be interested in assisting with environmental concerts in the states, Leavell
answered, "Yes, absolutely I'm open to using my voice and what little bit of celebrity I might have to help others who are
interested and have a passion for the land, love our environment, that want to do the right thing, as long as they're common-sensical
and they're going in the right direction. I would bring up one thing, there's a wonderful organization out of the United Kingdom
called Future Forest that has a very simple philosophy and that is they go into any business any entity even rock 'n roll
bands and they do a carbon audit and they sort out how much carbon emissions you are causing. And they do this through the
University of Edinborough. So in other words, if it's a band they would say 'well how many tour buses do you have, or how
many fans are coming on average. Do you have a private plane, so on and so forth' and they do this audit and they say, 'ok,
you're emitting approximately this much carbon. Do you know by planting x amount of trees you can help mitigate that carbon
emission.' That's a wonderful, very simple thing everybody can understand. They're being very successful with this. In fact,
the Rolling Stones United Kingdom Tour, the last tour, 40 licks, was carbon neutral." While the Stones didn't travel in veggie
diesel buses, Leavell noted, "The band stepped up to the plate and joined in partners with Future Forests and funded x amount
of dollars to support the planting of the trees that Future Forests does and they do this in Scotland, they do it in Africa,
they do it in countries all over the world. They go out, Future Forests finds the land, partners with landowners and then
partners with entities whether it would be a rental car company or a rock 'n roll band or whatever it would be and gets the
funding and then help create the action. It's just I think a wonderful simple concept that everybody can understand."
When asked what he'd like to leave as a legacy, Leavell said, "In my mind, my goal with my wife is to leave the land in
better shape than we found it. And what does that mean? It means going out there and getting your hands dirty. It means being
smart about how you manage your forests and how you manage your lands. It means working to better the habitat for wildlife
and not only for game species but for non game species, songbirds and the like, and that's what Rose Lane and I do everyday."
Leavall noted, "You're not going to wave a magic wand in a few days and come up with answers. I think the most important
thing is to get the dialogue going and certainly [Secretary Johanns] is doing that with the Farm Bill forums and I applaud
that so much and I want my fellow forest land owners to join in and to speak their mind and I think as long as we all keep
the dialogue going and if we work towards solutions we will find them. These are people problems, and people have to find
the solutions. We talk about forests, we talk about agriculture, we talk about land, but these are people issues and it's
going to take people to solve the problems."
Understanding that educating the public is important, Leavall remarked, "How do you get the attention of people who live
in the big cities who aren't walking the land every day like I do when I'm home. There's a number of ways you can do it. In
our state, the Georgia Forests Commission has a wonderful van that goes around all over the state and it has a number of computers
that are in there to teach children about outdoor issues, wildlife concerns, how timber is managed, agricultural concerns,
and we take these vans into the big cities, that's primarily our targets, into Atlanta, to Savannah, to Augusta and to those
types of cities and make it a point to get the teachers involved, to bring the children out, to let them have the experience
of the van,. On a personal level, Rose Lane and I oftentimes host groups out at our place, Charlane Plantation. We have a
special nature trail where we have over thirty species of trees identified and we walk the kids through there and we talk
not only about the trees but the flora and fauna within and we talk about watersheds and we talk about clean air and we talk
about forest management and we take them into the woods and let them see that as well. So, you know, one person can do quite
a lot." Noting that in "metropolitan areas where these are sometimes foreign concepts, there's an absolutely fantastic program
called PLT, Project Learning Tree, that is an arm of the American Forest Foundation. This is a program that is throughout
our country and to gain status in PLT you have to go through a training program. There is a wonderful booklet that is chock-full
of all kinds of activities and ways that children can learn about outdoor issues. We teach the teachers how to use the program
and this inturn goes to the children and it's an absolutely wonderful program. And I think in terms of reaching kids in metropolitan
areas that's probably the biggest tool that we have."
"Oftentimes I have people coming up to me whether they're fans or fellow musicians or people that work on the staff or
whatever to say, 'I read this stuff in the paper that you're doing or I heard you had a book on this subject. You really believe
in this stuff? You really do this stuff? And I say, 'Yeah, come here and let me talk to you then I start the preaching. But
yeah, I think I've maybe opened some eyes. I'll put it that way. You have to start with dialogue and getting people to think
about these issues and that's what I try to do and that's what I'm going to continue to do. Provider Pals, that's what I was
going to give a little bit of information about another great program called Provider Pals when you talk about reaching inner
cities is a pretty good organization. What they will do is find a forester, maybe a rancher, I think in one instance there
was a guy who dove for sea urchins and they partner with an inner-city school and you begin with some communication by letters
or by video or by internet and eventually the Provider Pal, the person who works in the environment, makes a trip a to the
school and brings videos or tools themselves and shows the children exactly what they do and they talk to them and I recall
the rancher for instance brought a rope and let the kids try to rope a dummy cow and this gives children hands on experience
and I think it makes them realize there's a world out there they don't see everyday and yes it's very important."
| Chuck Leavell: Tree Lover |
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| Chuck Leavell and his wife, devoted to conservation |
i was born
in the houses of power
and I was
called to reconnect to the earth.
so following
the call of spirit i sold all i'd ever had and went up on the mountain
and when i came down to the valley
spirit led me to the wilderness
and there i learned to live with nothing,
to grind my corn with rocks,
to weave baskets from the grass,
pine needles and branches around me;
i sewed my own mocassins from free cloth
and lived beneath the stars
and then spirit said it's time
to help with the healing of the earth
and i came back inside and my children
asked for television and electricity
and that's ok
and i came back in-doors
and use a computer and use electricity
and still the trees, the stars,
the water, rocks, the moon
and all creation has become alive again
for me and healing the earth
and realizing our unity has become
the ultimate reality...
we are one in the spirit
we are one in this life
and they'll know we are
humans by our love, by our love,
yes, they'll know we are humans by
our love.
and the reality of healing requires
real work, requires grants
and loans, and physical labor
and requires cooperation, and respect
and cannot happen so long
as there is you and me
in this healing there is only
i and i
anything less will meet with less than success
and our children deserve our best.
the earth is our mother
we must take care of her.
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| Vice Admiral Conrad Lautenbacher |
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| Lautenbacher Spoke for Secretary of Commerce |
VADM Conrad C. Lautenbacher, Jr., US Navy (Retired)At White House Conference on Cooperative Conservation
August 31, 2005
Good morning everyone, and thank you for being here. Let me begin by conveying to all of you Secretary Gutierrez’s
sincere regrets that he couldnot join you today. President Bush asked the Secretary to take part in the Hurricane KatrinaReconstruction
Task Force. So, the Secretary’s duties prevented him from traveling to St.Louis.
This Conference marks a new opportunity to collaborate on preserving our natural resources for future generations.
It’s a priority issue for President Bush. It’s a priority issue for this Administration.
Our goal is to broaden private-public partnerships that will enhance our environment. For the Department of
Commerce, this conference is an opportunity to build on a century-old tradition. In 1903, the Fisheries Commission and fisheries
conservation became a component of the newly created agency.
More recently, NOAA, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, has created a number of partnerships
to foster cooperative conservation. Among these are programs on climate research, coral reefs and fisheries habitat restoration.
The NOAA Community-Based Restoration Program has been an amazing success story. Over the past five years, 16,000
habitat acres have been restored. Eighty stream blockages were removed. And 700 stream miles for fish passage were opened.
To accomplish these milestones, the Restoration Program has worked cooperatively with local, state and private partners. We
leveraged both financial and volunteer resources.
Today, I’d like to talk to you about an important new partnership proposal - it’s the Open Rivers
initiative. This is a cooperative program to remove obsolete barriers to free flowing rivers and fish passage.
Let me be specific. I’m talking primarily about dams that are in hazardous condition or no longer useful.
I’m also talking about other barriers such as culverts that because of size and location are too frequently blocked.
Most important, I’m talking about removing obstructions where the community is leading the charge. Removal of such barriers
can be an especially costly undertaking for local governments and private owners. In fact, there are dozens of dams around
the country that have already completed the environmental review and permitting process. The communities recognize the benefits
of removing these obsolete obstructions, but they don’t have the resources to make it happen.
Our new initiative is intended to help provide assistance where this is the case. The key to the successful
implementation of this program is a consensus among the people and communities affected. The impetus will come from the ground
up.
Dams are a vital part of our national infrastructure. They are a critical source of economic, environmental
and social benefits. The National Research Council estimates the total number of U.S. dams at 2.5 million. The vast majority
are still valuable and functional. And I want to say this as clearly as possible:
• First, we have no interest in pursuing
removal of any dam that serves a useful purpose.
• Second, we have no
interest in pursuing removal of any dam whose owner is not a willing partner.
The main reasons for dam removal are safety, environmental or economics. Often, it’s all three. Many dams
are 50 years, 100 years, or older. Some of these are small dams, less than 6-feet tall. They were built for a variety of reasons:
Many of them to establish recreation areas, some to create fire and farm ponds. Others for flood control, or irrigation, or
water or energy supply. A number served multiple purposes. But that was then. Today, for many, their original reason for being
no longer applies. Some of these aging structures have high-hazard potential for anyone working or living nearby. Recent technology
has reduced fatalities, but significant liability remains for dam owners. Our initiative is intended for those projects where
the community reaches a consensus. The motivation may be safety and/or to boost local economies. Removal can increase real
estate values and recreational opportunities.
In addition to obsolete dams, there are other barriers to free flowing rivers. Our Open Rivers initiative is
also aimed at these. For example, the sheer number of sewers or drains under roads, dikes, or other structures means access
is closed to many miles of streams. At the Commerce Department, we see removal of obsolete dams and other barriers as an additional
tool in conserving and restoring our fish populations. It would especially benefit fish such as salmon, striped bass, and
shad whose life cycle carries them through the river and the ocean.
Overall, we envision the new initiative as a partnership in cooperative conservation and an investment in our
society, our economy and our ecological future. From reports we have seen, it’s an investment that can produce real
returns.
One of the restoration projects that we participated in was in Newport, Maine. Working with the State of Maine
and the U.S. Departments of Agriculture and Commerce, Town Manager Jim Ricker led the effort to remove an obsolete dam. He
wanted to improve the safety of the people and the town. He wanted to reduce maintenance costs. And he wanted to increase
available green space.
The removal of the Guilford Dam eliminated a potential safety hazard. It also restored a portion of the Sebasticook
River. This is leading to the renewal of the waterfront area, including increased fish populations, higher real estate values
and more recreational areas for the community.
SUCCESSFUL WHITE HOUSE CONFERENCE UNRECOGNIZED DUE TO ENVIRONMENTAL TRAGEDY
The White House Conference on Cooperative Conservation convened August 29 in the America's Center in St. Louis' historic
downtown with Helen Hankins of the Elko, Nevada, BLM and Leta Collord of the Stewardship Group in attendance. On arrival
one received a printed name tag identifying you as presenter, participant or press. With that "necklace," one passed through
the guarded entrance and into the vast Conference Center to enjoy the panoply of presentations, speakers and exhibits. Trees
and plants from a Missouri nursery brought nature herself into the Center.
The first day began at 8 a.m. in the multi-tiered Ferrara Theater where St. Louis Mayor, Francis Slay, welcomed attendees.
Missouri Senator Jim Talent spoke, followed by James L. Connaughton, Chairman of the White House Council on Environmental
Quality and Secretary of the Interior, Gale Norton, as well as a video-taped welcome from President Bush.
Following the welcoming speeches, participants broke up into one of 10 concurrent sessions held in meeting rooms each furnished
with speaker’s podiums, film screens, folding chairs for the audience and literature. Cooperative conservation alliances
from around the United States including Alaska presented success stories in vacant land management; restoration of the Chicago
wilderness; conservation in Detroit; Missouri watersheds; sustainable wine growers in California; Colorado River multi-species
conservation and answered questions from their peers.
At 11 a.m. participants went to the America’s Center Ballroom to dine at white-tablecloth-covered tables with place
cards and elegant meals complete with salad, beverage and desert, all courtesy of the White House. As the Air National Guard
brass quintet band played, the 1000 participants awaited the arrival of Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld. Rumsfeld spoke
of his love for the land and detailed the defense department’s contributions to domestic environmentalism. As Rumsfeld
finished speaking he swept out of the room accompanied by photographers until he disappeared down the long hallway accompanied
by his entourage.
At 12:30 the concurrent sessions commenced again with presentations on the Nisqually River Watershed; the Phalen Corridor,
rebuilding the urban environment of St. Paul, Minnesota; as well as on New York City’s conservation; southwest collaborative
forest restoration; northwest Florida’s Greenway project; conservation of wetlands, birds and bears in Louisiana; conserving
prairie ranches, ranchers and grassland birds, Hawaii coral reefs and native algae restoration, as well as on the transformation
of abandoned mines into bat habitats, averting the extinction of numerous bat species. All the successes depended on collaborative
cooperation between tribes, states, communities and federal agencies.
Following refreshments in the Exhibit Hall, overflowing with information from a multitude of environmental groups, participants
returned to the concurrent sessions. Particularly inspiring was the story of "Water without War" Cooperative Salmon Restoration
in which the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation joined with farmers, enviornmentalists and county and
federal government to return salmon to the Walla Walla River for the first time in 100 years without resorting to litigation.
Audience members received golden packages of salmon and fresh Washington apples to mark the spirit of giveaway that comes
with the Native salmon culture.
From 4:30 to 5:30 participants returned to the Ferrara Theater to hear Secretary of Agriculture Mike Johanns followed by
a speech by Rolling Stones keyboardist, Churck Leavall. Leavall, a recipient of the National Outstanding Tree Farmer of the
Year award, authored Forever Green: The History and Hope of the American Forest. Leavall, a southern tree farmer, had
flown in from a Stone’s concert in Ottowa, Canada with his wife Rose Lane.
The second day also featured speeches by Stephen Johnson of the EPA prior to the commencement of two rounds of 9 concurrent
discussion sessions where participants, including the press, discussed topics like "Building Successful Partnerships," and
"Expanding the Role of Tribes, States and Communities in Cooperative Conservation."
By the evening of the second day as people joined in the Renaissance Grand Hotel’s Landmark Ballroom for dinner and
music, the talk had turned to New Orleans and the jubilant celebratory nature of the Conference began to turn somber. Some
were from New Orleans. One gentleman fortunately had his wife and children with him as his home was likely gone.
Later in the evening, participants enjoyed an evening visit to the St. Louis Arch, courtesy of the White House. Flashing
one’s conference tag gave entre to the Arch and its incredible museum complete with diorama’s, and artifacts including
wagon trains and tipis. From the top of the Arch, St. Louis, Gateway to the West, sparkled while riverboats on the Mississippi
River lit the night.
The White House completed the conference on August 31 with panels led by William D. Ruckelshaus, former EPA director. Steven
J. McCormick of the Nature Conservancy called for passge of a Cooperative Conservation Bill in Congress. Scheduled speaker
Secretary of Commerce Carlos Gutierrez and other high-level cabinet officials had been called back to Washington for Hurricane
Katrina councils with the President even as representatives of the Department of Defense, Commerce, EPA, Agriculture, and
Department of the Interior sat on a panel talking about the need for streamlining interagency effectiveness. The spirit of
the conference, marked by goodwill to and from the Administration, seemed like a dandelion puff blown to the wind by the accusations
of the media as all emerged from the America’s Center to perhaps the largest cooperative conservation crisis in U.S.
history, Hurricane Katrina.
Hankins thought "the conference was great. I think it was really inspirational. It was an incredible opportunity to network
with people and I think now the expectation is that the Administration will be coming forth with some further activities relative
to cooperative conservation. They talked about several new initiatives while they were there. Everybody there had the expectation
that there will be more to come from a legislative and policy standpoint." The conference was a "great effort on the part
of the administration now we need to see what the follow-up will be."
Collord too was "encouraged and impressed with the breadth of successful case studies presented there and I think it will
be effective in sending messages back up the line as to where the barriers are in these local working groups to make them
more effective. In total I thought it was an excellent conference."
Chairman of the President's Council on Environmental Quality, James L. Connaughton told those assembled before they went
out to face an America devastated by Hurricane Katrina, "We have already now emblazoned
that new path for conservation in the century before us "so all that’s left for me to do is thank all of you and thank
all of those who are now going to engage with you as we carry this great vision forward." Connaughton spoke, "On behalf of
President Bush and on behalf of his team and adminstration, on behalf of the members of Congress who are now beginning to
wake up and join in writing this new chapter I want to thank all of you."
| Walla Walla Tribal Grandmother Katherine |
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| Thanks to Walla Walla Indians Salmon Return to River |
| Native Americans Work Cooperatively With All |
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| Cooperative Conservation Respects Native Perspectives |
| Chuck Leavell, Keyboard Player for Rolling Stones |
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| Chuck Leavell, rock star & tree lover |
| Chuck Leavell fresh from Stones' Concert |
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| Leavell, award-winning tree farmer spoke to Conservationists |
| Words Engraved in the Arch Museum |
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| This Earth Belongs to Us All as One Family |
| The D.O.I. and BLM Care for Our Wild Horses |
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| Wild Horses Being Rounded-Up by BLM, Nevada |
| Visions of Peace Promised by Rainbows |
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| All Real Healing Requires Cooperation and Hard Work Among All in the Circle of Life |
long
ago and far away
in a valley we called
home
we raised a cup of
silver light
to the memory of edenic
nights.
hands of light
winds of change
bring my eden back
to me
hands of light
wielding swords of
steel
cut through our insanity
deep in the mountains
rivers of fire burn
deep in the oceans
seeds of light churn
spirits blow their
silver horns
and from the ashes
a new world's born.
Children play by a
crystal stream
dream-weavers of all
that
ought to be
dancing through the
veil of tears
as we release our
final fears.
hands of light
winds of change
bring my adam back
to me
hands of light
wielding swords of
steel
cut through our insanity
not too far and very
soon
we'll stand beneath
a different moon
and raise a cup of
silver light
to our present edenic
nights.
****
slowly
things change so slowly
and I want to scream
in this slow-motion
dream
break free, break
free
to a new reality
the rocks resist the
coming tide
and yet they turn
to sand
that slips slowly,
slowly through the
hands
of a child at play
and maybe one day
abel and cain
will give up their
game
but slowly, slowly
things change
****
Day-break
he's glad to be awake
everything in its
place.
Nothing could happen
to mar the day
of a very busy self-made
man.
But, he had a dream
he'd prefer
to forget, nothing
that could ever happen,
of course.
He was in a card-board
shanty
filled with men
and he was sitting
in the corner praying.
Clothes in shreds,
nothing to eat.
Got to get up now,
drag himself
to work, can't think
of his woman
so far away
and it's off to the
fields
to till until twelve
with the heartless
sun
beating down on him.
I can hear sighs over
the airwaves.
Did you have strange
dreams
last night?
It won't be long till
you have to see
when you close your
eyes
you'll be me.
Daybreak he's glad
to be awake
everything in its
place
nothing could happen
to mar the day of a very busy self-made man.
He's in his limo
chauffeur's driving
radio's playing tchaikovsky
traffic's tied up
he sees a bum
rolls down his window
and throws
him a buck.
The bum lays his coat
on a warm street grate
and dreams
he's a rich man on
a big estate
with clean pajamas
and a red-silk robe
bathing in expensive
european soap
and he kisses his
wife as he slips
between the sheets
enjoying the fruits
of a rich man's deeds,
thanking god that
he's himself
and not some bum on
the street.
I can hear sighs over
the airwaves.
Did you have strange
dreams last night.
It won't be long till
you have to see
when you close your
eyes you'll be me.
Daybreak, he's glad
to be awake
everything in its
place
nothing could happen
to mar the day
of a very busy self-made
man
but he had a dream
he'd prefer to forget
nothing that could
ever happen,
of course, he was
just a little boy
dying of thirst, looking
for his mother
all by himself on
city streets,
looking for somewhere
safe to be
wishing he were a
rich man's son.
I can hear sighs over
the airwaves
did you have strange
dreams last night?
It won't be long till
you have to see
when we realize we're
one we'll all be free.
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| Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld |
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| Rumsfeld Spoke on the Military and Environmentalism |
Secretary Rumsfeld's Remarks at the White House Conference on Cooperative Conservation
Thank you. Thank you very much. Thank you very much. It's good to see you all. Good morning, ladies and gentlemen.
Where is Secretary Gale Norton? I haven't seen her yet to say hello. There you go. Good. Nice to see you, Gale.
I've been with Secretary Mike Johanns and Administrator Steve Johnson, it's good to see all of you. Is Senator Talent here?
Someone said he might make it. He's doing such a great job on the Senate Armed Services Committee for all the men and women
in uniform.
Elected officials at the federal, state and local levels ‑ greetings. It's a pleasure for me to join you for this
4th White House Conference on Cooperative Conservation.
President Bush's commitment to conservation is well known. As someone pointed out to me the other day, he's even using
a recycled Secretary of Defense.
...(Laughter)...
That's right after he introduced me as the only Secretary of Defense to serve in two centuries.
...(Laughter)...
Thirty years apart.
This year’s conference was called by President George Bush. But the first such conference, I'm told, was called in
1908 by another man of the west, President Theodore Roosevelt.
The year before that, at the first conference Teddy Roosevelt said to the United States Congress: "To waste, to destroy,
our natural resources, to skin and exhaust the land instead of using it so as to increase its usefulness will result in undermining
in the days of our children the very prosperity which we ought by right to hand down to them amplified and developed."
As with many issues, President Roosevelt was well ahead of his time. He understood clearly the importance of conservation
when many did not. However, he also understood the importance of another issue, a cause for concern then as well as today,
that of military readiness. From his experience in the military, President Roosevelt knew that the military's ability to fight
is only as good as its ability to train.
He said: "Good ships and good guns are simply good weapons, and the best weapons are useless, save in the hands of men
who know how to fight with them."
Like Theodore Roosevelt, the men and women at the Department of Defense understand the value of readiness and also the
importance of cooperative conservation. The fact is, that sustaining the readiness of our military depends on cooperative
conservation. I'd like to say a bit about what the department is doing to improve both and why they are inextricably linked.
The Department of Defense has been entrusted with some 30 million acres of this country's land on which to house and train
our forces and to test the weapons that they will likely have to use in battle. The duty to protect the natural resources
of those lands is a profound responsibility. In fact, conservation is much more than a duty. It is really a proud part of
the Department of Defense's heritage.
Lewis and Clark's "Corps of Discovery," which commenced not too far from here two centuries ago, was after all a U.S. Army
expedition that made some of the first and most important collections of wildlife data in North America.
The founder of the Smithsonian's Museum of Natural History built his first collections primarily from specimens collected
by U.S. army officers stationed across America's West.
And the U.S. military rescued Yellowstone National Park, even before creation of the National Park Service, by protecting
it from illegal activity [which included] logging, poaching and grazing some hundred years ago.
Today that proud legacy continues. For example, I'm told that the population of Red Cockaded Woodpeckers, an endangered
species, has grown so successfully at military bases in the southeast that over 100 birds have been exported to other federal,
state, and private forests to help stabilize critical populations.
According to the North Carolina Department of Environment and Natural Resources, military bases are now among that state's
most environmentally conscious communities.
If the Department of Defense were a business, readiness would be our bottom line. Some folks seem to assume that the department's
conservation efforts tend to be in conflict with military readiness. In fact, the opposite is usually true.
U.S. military ranges provide space to train our forces and to test equipment. And their preservation is essential because
training wins wars and saves lives. Troops fight as they train and they must train as they will need to fight. Let me offer
an example.
Some of you may have heard of a soldier named Paul R. Smith. He gave his life for our country and became the first service
member since September 11th to be awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor by the President of the United States. In addition
to his selfless heroism, it was his strict training and instruction that saved every one of the troops in his unit. Their
lives were saved during an ambush outside of Baghdad. His determination with respect to their training may not have endeared
him to his troops before the war, but after that battle one said, "Now I realize what he taught us saved our lives."
The Defense Department's policy is to link that life‑saving readiness with sustainability through a balanced concern
for the mission and the environment. When those concerns are not balanced, the consequences can unfortunate, such as when
troops deployed for operations in Iraq. The department's goal is to balance life‑saving training with conservation,
as has been done at Fort Bragg.
For many years there [inaudible] significantly curtailed during the mating season of an endangered species -- again, as
it happens, the Red Cockaded Woodpecker.
It was argued by many that military training noise deterred mating. However, I'm told that some 10,000 hours of surveillance
tapes ‑ can you believe that – 10,000 hours of surveillance tapes ‑‑ finally demonstrated that military
training noise had no discernable effect on those bird's reproductive success.
Hard data trumped old assumptions. And today, training there continues for our forces as needed, and I presume so do the
other activities of that species as appropriate. Often maintaining optimal readiness depends on cooperative conservation.
This is the case for many military bases that were once in the middle of nowhere, but now in the center of encroaching development.
In these cases the Department of Defense is working with conservation groups and other agencies to try to limit adjacent
development. Partnerships are often the very best solution to the challenges of encroachment issues such as suburban growth,
noise complaints and airspace restrictions.
The best solutions to encroachment problems, we found, are partnerships with organizations, dedicated to conservation --
both governmental and nongovernmental organizations, to acquire from willing sellers conservation easements on nearby private
lands.
Fortunately, legislation requested by the Department of Defense authorizing such partnerships was enacted in to law by
Congress in 2002. These partnerships can help forestall development and can protect habitats there by conserving our natural
resources while allowing U.S. forces to train relatively free of encroachment-related restrictions.
Consider the partnership project called the Northwest Florida Greenway.
The five major military installations there
constitute one of the largest open‑air military test areas in the United States. However, the area has been experiencing
rapid growth that has threatened the military mission.
Therefore, the department partnered with three nongovernmental organizations, seven state agencies, three regional and
local agencies and two other federal agencies to work to conserve open space and compatible land use along a 100-mile corridor
in northwest Florida.
The benefits have included: sustaining the military mission, especially U.S. military aircraft training routes; protecting
the natural resources of what The Nature Conservancy has called one of America's six "biodiversity hotspots;" and strengthening
the regional economy as well as strengthening tourism through outdoor recreation, such as the Florida National Scenic Trail.
Some of the projects currently underway in: California, Colorado, South Carolina, Georgia, Hawaii, Minnesota and North
Carolina -- at Camp Lejeune, which I believe, like Northwest Florida Greenway, is the focus of one of this conference's sessions.
Beyond the state level, the department is embarking on a Southeast Regional Planning pilot project that could include four
southeastern states and four of our military services. We look forward to other federal agencies joining in this regional
effort.
Conservation strategies have changed a good deal since I was a guide at Philmont Scout Ranch in northeastern New Mexico
some 56 years ago. Hard to believe – 56 years ago.
The old way of approaching conservation planning ‑‑ through individual efforts, and without cross‑governmental
partnerships ‑‑ will not work in a future of ever expanding competition for scarce resources.
With new partnerships, the Department of Defense is seeking to fulfill a mission that is as old as the military. In the
spirit of Theodore Roosevelt and on the order of our Commander and Chief, George W. Bush, the United States Armed Forces can
and will continue to work to protect America -- both our lands, as well as our fellow citizens.
So, I thank each of you so much for all you do for the generations to come of Americans. Thank you so very much, it's a
pleasure to be with you.
...(Applause)...
NATIVE AMERICANS SHARED THEIR THOUGHTS ON COOPERATIVE CONSERVATION
A Navajo gentleman working for the government noted "We all know what we want, we want a healthy land, we want wildlife,
we want cattle, we want sheep, we want earthworms in the earth, we want clean flowing streams, that's what we want." He said
he tells his people, "The only game in town I usually say is conservation because it's funded by the government and they do
the design and engineering and we have the land but they work with the individual farmer, and rancher and my job is to faciiltate."
He remarked that "There's a symbiotic relationship there and it works for us, but you have to consider again, Navajo we've
got land mass." The Navajo are "maybe not the richest, but we have money, but we have much land, and much people so the money
doesn't stretch too far when you're talking about 17 million acres and 300,000 people so millions don't mean much when you
start dividing it up amongst those acreages and people so it's a relationship we need. We need the environmental project money,
the EPA dollars, we need those abandoned mine grants and Fish and Wildlife and BIA. We need them in a big big way."
He noted that Navajos are "people with different levels of education. We have our geeks and we still have people who have
never gone to school. We still have those kind of people. The strength of Navajo is the diversity but they're real homogeneous,
you know, they're all homogeneous but they always brought other people into the tribe, a good mix makes for a healthy genetic
pool, and that makes them pretty strong and that's how they got a big reservation. They started out with a small one and kept
getting bigger, and bigger, and bigger. And that's a struggle, an everyday struggle to maintain, administrate and enforce
tribal rules and federal rules" and noted that sometimes in reconciling traditional concerns "the picture gets cloudy and
the radar screen gets to be mystery-driven," and "sometimes sadly to say, we leave the traditional people behind, but I tell
you, conferences like this, I'm going back to the people and saying 'I hope this is what you guys'll want.' He uses his technical
background to help but finds it's hard to reach the expectations from his local bosses, "dirt farmers." Still he feels like
"I'm doing what I want to do when I grow up. And seeing the future, some results that I want to see, that keeps me going.
If it was all political b.s. and bureaucratic nonsense all I would do is walk into my office and gather my personal belongings
and walk out and not even resign or anything." He pointed out that the people attending the conference "mean it because they
spent money, they took the time...What really really hurts me, like I said, these people mean it. They want to be here. They
want to fix the land. They want results. Not so back home. Not so back home. They've overgrazed our land and put in too much
livestock and we ignore our livestock and those animals reproduce. The place is trashed. They march all over the place. There's
that job of trying to fix that, too. But the government can't do everything for everybody."
David Troutt, Chair of the Nisqaully River Council, spoke on a closing conference panel led by Bill Ruckelshaus (who following
his tenure with the EPA, (1970-1973 and 1983-1985) now serves as U.S. envoy for the implementation of the Pacific Salmon Treaty,
and currently serves as the Chairman of the Salmon Recovery Funding Board for the State of Washington).
Troutt noted that in his "presentation to this conference on the Nisqually Water Shed, one of the slides I included in
my presentation" shows "Nisqually being the center of the universe which we think it is." To Nisqually "it's not just a creation
story, we really think Nisqually is the center of the earth. Our creation stories are about Nisqually being the center of
the universe so with the Nisqually tribe and all the tribes around the country in your community, there's a special connection
between the tribal people and the land they live in and it's really important to recognize that as we move forward with these
cooperative efforts. To make that happen you need to remember a number of principles that I've seen when a tribe works successfully.
One is, get to know the tribe in your community. I don't mean in a text-book intellectual way but get out to the community,
get out to the reservations, eat with the people, introduce yourself to the officials. Have a cup of coffee and talk about
what their goals and what your goals are and you'll be surprised how quickly the goals are very much alike and you can work
together. Second is to include us early on in the process. We love to eat dinner, we love to help cook dinner. We don't like
being invited to the meal after the menu's already been prepared... And for us to be effective in doing that, the tribes in
particular because of their relationship with the federal government need the resources to be at the table and be productive.
In a case that I've been working with Bill [Ruckelshaus] on salmon recovery in Puget Sound, the tribes through NOAA and Congress
have received funding support, infrastructure for salmon recovery and because of that have been key and effective players
in developing the salmon recovery plan and I think it's a large result of our leadership that we are where we are today...
As an example the tribes have also been involved in the timber, fish and wildlife and fish and forest agreements for the State
of Washington which is a collaborative process between the tribes, environmental community and the timber industry since 1989.
From 1989 until now we've had stable funding to support our involvement in not only scientific but policy level to help this
process go forward and I think if you talk to folks from the industry side and the state side and the tribe as well, they'd
all say it's been a remarkable success, we're making incredible progress. Unfortunately, in the last budget cycle the tribe
budget supporting their efforts in this program has been cut substantially which leaves us in the position of evaluating whether
or not we can continue in an effective way in the process so it's real important to have the tribes at the table with the
ability to be effective players in the process. Taking off my tribal hat and putting on my Nisqually council hat, 'That guy
that just talked about the tribes, he was right on.' (Roaring applause).
Ruckelshaus agreed that "The description of the tribes in Puget Sound having taken a leadership role is an accurate one
not just for his tribe: there are 17 tribes in Puget Sound who have a major role in the development of the recovery plan that
is now been presented to NOAA and will have publication in the next 45 days. And every one of those watersheds where we have
had a very inclusive process where they have described the needs of the fish and developed a strategy or plan for helping
those fish recover and have made major commitments in the watersheds to take the steps necessary to help those fish recover.
Virtually every one with an inclusive and comprehensive process, tribes have taken the lead, and I think that's an important
factor to keep in mind as we begin to think about putting together some of these kind of processes in the future."
In assisting Northeastern Nevada tribes Hankins noted, "The tribes in Northeastern Nevada are not well-financed for the
most part. Some of the bands have more revenues than others but the Te-Moak tribe itself is not a rich tribe by any means,
the overall tribe. Underneath that there's Wells Band, Elko Band and Battle Mountain Band and with possibly one exception
they're not well-financed at all and they have many things to contend with, you know, they've got housing issues, they've
got a need for burial grounds; they've got other kinds of Native American religious needs for land and they have a lot of
social issues that they're contending with and so they don't focus very much on natural resource or cultural issues and they
don't engage with us to the extent that we wish they would."
According to Hankins it's not just up to the BLM, "Well, they also have some responsibility to come to the table and I
think you know we have made some progress in the BLM because we have a Native American liaison who meets with them on a regular
basis, at least once a month, goes on field trips with the Elders, and other things, works with the tribal governments and
that's significantly better than we had even two or three years ago. And I know Leta [Collord of the Stewardship Group] personally
has made a lot of overtures to try to get tribal representatives at the Stewardship Group meetings. You know, there is a point
where you cannot make them come to the table. They have to come when they're ready and when they're able given all the other
demands that they have and I think our responsibility is to keep inviting them, keep making sure the door is open."
Hankins noted that local tribes "regularly receive information from our office through our Native American liaison and
certainly they should be provided any public information that they want to have, but again they have some responsibility also
to engage and various individuals in the individual bands and the tribal council do engage and participate as they can, but
it's not always the same person and it's not consistent because they have other things that they have to spend their time
on. We just have to work within what they're able to do and when it's necessary or appropriate we should be going to their
tribal council meetings and we do, but it's a joint responsibility. We need to work to engage them and they also need to engage
and it's improved over time and I think it's just one of those things that you continue to try to make better and I don't
think it's going to get better in one week or one month. They have many issues that they're confronting."
With heaven and earth
Stomach and all forgotten
Rice planting.
When I saw
Heaven and Earth as
My own garden,
I live that moment
Outside the universe.
Feeling happy
With my children,
Finally realizing
My thoughtlessness
Toward my parents.
***
In Paradise, too,
Everything goes like this:
Full moon in summer.
Both heaven and hell
Are inside
Yourself;
Devils or Buddhas are
Nothing but your heart.
****
Just put off
Attachment
from your mind:
This world is
Paradise.
Attachment, desire,
Giving them up:
You'll find the world is
All yours.
No one is taught
How to fall in love
But everyone
Learns how
Naturally.
***
I wish our minds
Were equal to the color
Of pine trees
And wish our promise
Would keep its green forever.
"One of the vital aspects of traditional Rinzai Zen koan
study in Japan is jakugo, or capping-phrase exercises. When Zen students have attained sufficient mastery of meditation or
concentration, they are given a koan (such as the familiar 'What is the sound of one hand clapping?) to study.' These koans
are from A Zen Harvest: Sayings of the Masters, translated and compiled by Soiku Shigematsu, foreward
by Robert Aitken, published by North Point Press, 1988.
If anyone
Sins, please blame me,
O Heaven, because
All people are
My own children.
Hatred like layers of snow
Melts into
A spring river as if
Breaking into a smile.
The moon is shining
On each dewdrop
On each grass blade.
This dewlike world,
Indeed fleeting like dew;
Yet, yet....
Don't pick it up,
Just leave it there:
A clover in the field.
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