April 25, 2008

Norm Addresses SCA Volunteers at the EarthVision Summit

Norm spoke at the EarthVision Summit, a conference of student volunteers from across the nation sponsored by the Student Conservation Association and the Interior Department to connect young people with environmental leaders from government agencies and national advocacy groups. The SCA played a key role in the cleanup of Mount Rainier after the November/December 2006 storms, allowing the park to reopen for the 2007 season on time. Norm's full remarks are below:

"Welcome.  It’s a tremendous honor for me to be here at EarthVision and to join Secretary Kempthorne and National Park Service Director Bomar in congratulating you for your interest in good stewardship of our public lands here in the United States.   I have been a strong supporter of the goals and the mission of the Student Conservation Association and similar efforts throughout my career that foster a greater sense of ownership of our parks and public lands among young people.   The SCA holds a special place for me not only because of the great conservation achievements you have made in the past half-century, but also because of the role of Olympic National Park as one of the two original parks where SCA volunteers first served.  In 1957, two years after this idea was first suggested by Vassar College student Elizabeth Titus Putnam in her senior thesis, 53 volunteers were dispatched to two national parks:  Grand Teton and Olympic National Park, which I now represent.  That year they accomplished trail rehabilitation and various conservation projects as they launched a wonderful tradition of service and as they began what has become a vital connection between the 50,000 SCA alumni and the publicly-owned lands we all care about preserving. 

"Through its history this unique program has demonstrated that volunteer young people who are committed to becoming good stewards of our parks can make a real difference, not only saving a considerable amount of money that frees up other park resources but which also gives our National Parks a “margin of excellence.”    The kinds of tasks and projects that SCA Volunteers accomplish are often the things that can make the kinds of small but important differences in the condition of our parks … trails … campgrounds… wildlife habitat protection and restoration.  They are the kinds of things that truly improve the visitor experience and that encourage return attendance.  Two years ago, when a series of 100-year storms hit the Pacific Northwest and caused enormous damage to Mount Rainier National Park, the SCA played a pivotal role in our ability to re-open the park on time for the 2007 season.   The student volunteers accomplished more than 100 separate projects, including trail and bridge repairs, control of invasive species and campsite restoration.  The Park Superintendent, Dave Uberuaga, assured me that the projects that SCA was responsible for saved the park more than $1.6 million.  

"As Chairman of the House Interior and Environment Appropriations Subcommittee, I know how important these projects are.  I know that despite the need, we never have enough resources to accomplish all of the maintenance and rehabilitation projects that are critically necessary at all of the 391 units that are under the jurisdiction of the National Park Service.  For too many years we have not provided sufficient funding to the National Park Service – not even enough money to cover mandatory pay and benefit costs each year -- resulting in a significant decline in resources that are needed to pay for rangers, seasonal workers and maintenance personnel.  As I became Chairman of the Subcommittee last year, I expressed the commitment to restoring the health of the parks providing the resources that we will need to help them remain viable for our growing population. I was pleased and encouraged that Secretary Dirk Kempthorne, in his first year as Interior Secretary, was able to increase the Park Service account in the President’s budget request by a significant amount, allowing us to take an initial step toward restoring the budgets.  And we are determined to take another important step forward this year.  But the need is greater than ever, and we continue to depend, of course, on the great work that the Student Conservation Corps is doing across the nation. 

"Beyond the contributions you are making to the nation, I am one who can appreciate the SCA experience from a personal viewpoint.   Coming from an outdoor-oriented family, I recall fondly the experiences hiking and camping in the parks when I was very young, instilling in me a lifelong appreciation for their beauty and a passionate enjoyment of being outdoors.  I had the good fortune to live a short distance away from two of the nation’s premier National Parks, of course, but that’s the same connection you and all of the SCA volunteers make in restoration work you do on any of our public lands.  And as I have gotten older I have become even more convinced that we as a nation – and we as a world community-- are only going to solve the mega problems of our environment such as global warming when the people are personally invested in the solution.  And what better way than making the vital connection to the environment that is conferred upon you by your participation in this great program.  All of you, in the vanguard of environmental leadership of your generation, will have the responsibility of leading by example.   But you will also have the enjoyment of knowing that you have made a difference, and that you have left a rich environmental legacy for the next generation behind you.

"Thank you so much for the interest you have shown and for the work you are doing.   And keep it up."

April 25, 2008: At the EarthVision Summit, the Student Conservation Association commended Norm for his actions in the swift approval of emergency cleanup funds for Mount Rainier National Park, and presented him with a ceremonial poster commemorating the restoration effort.   Pictured with Norm is SCA President and CEO Dale M. Penny (left) and Mount Rainier National Park Superintendent Dave Uberauga (right).

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