Thank you for that kind introduction. It’s great to be with so many people that are interested in the environment and our national forests.

I want to thank the National Forest Foundation for inviting me. I want to congratulate my friend, Congressman Bob Lagomarsino, for his substantial contributions to conservation over the years. And I’m grateful to Yvon Choinard for his lifetime of leadership in environmental protection. Finally, I want to recognize Chief Gail Kimbell from the U.S. Forest Service.

The Central Coast, I think as you all know, is blessed with some of the most beautiful landscapes in the world.  These are here, of course, for the health, pleasure and the well-being of all Californians, as well as those who travel here from around the world.

We all want to enjoy our magnificent beaches and open spaces, our national parks and marine sanctuaries, and of course, our national forests. Just as importantly, we want to protect these special places for our children.

I know that many of us have come from different backgrounds and have traveled different paths through life. But we have in common our view that nature is a priceless, but fragile, gift. It’s an important part of the fabric of our lives, and it’s a major part of our responsibility to our children and our children’s children.

That’s why we have to protect our oceans and restore our coastal areas. Why we must help communities preserve their parks, farms and other green spaces. And why we need to support strong protections for water quality, wildlife habitat and recreation in our national forests. I’m glad to say that the Central Coast continues to walk in good footsteps.

Bob and Yvon – thank you for what you’ve done to be good stewards of the land. Through your leadership, I hope and believe we can put to rest the old debate between economic growth and environmental protection. We can come to grips with big environmental challenges, like global warming, by promoting clean energy technologies and creating jobs at the same time.

Those of us here tonight are in the vanguard – we’re reminding people that we can be smarter about the ways we protect the environment, especially our national forests like the Los Padres.

I’d like to say just a quick word about the Los Padres National Forest. It’s some of the best protected wild lands anywhere in America. It’s a wilderness gem, a place to hike, backpack, and fish. It’s home to unexplored and irreplaceable Chumash archeological sites. And it’s a haven for the California condor and other precious endangered and threatened species. It’s a place where people are reminded why we safeguard the land for the American people that are not around yet.

The great conservationist Aldo Leopold, who pioneered the protection of roadless areas in our forests, said, “When we see the land as a community to which we belong, we may begin to use it with love and respect.”

If there is one thing that should always unite us – as a community, across generations, and across parties – it is love for the land. I’m glad to be a part of this tradition. And I know that Bob, Yvon and all of us here tonight are too.

This is a great evening, and I thank all of you who made it happen.  This is your achievement, but it is a gift that we will give to all future generations – to walk in the forest, fish in a stream, breathe the air. 

For tonight and for the tomorrows to come, we will be graced with the opportunity to enjoy the richness and splendor of our unique environment on the Central Coast.

And I hope you will always be proud that you were a part of it. Thank you.

Pictured above: (center) Congresswoman Capps meets with Central Coast firefighters to discuss emergency preparedness.