Back ||NOAA Home Remarks by Vice Admiral Conrad C. Lautenbacher, Jr., U.S. Navy (Retired) At the Opening of the 38th Annual Smithsonian Folklife Festival Washington, D.C. June 23, 2004 Thank you and good morning. It is an honor to be here with you to kickoff this annual celebration. This event marks the single largest outreach and education effort ever by NOAA. I’m told we have some 230 NOAA employees here promoting environmental literacy and education to help make this event a successful one. NOAA is proud to help sponsor Waterways: Mid Atlantic Maritime Communities as a theme areas at this year’s Smithsonian Folklife Festival. The Mid-Atlantic region is not only home to a lot of us here today but also an important part of our cultural heritage and economic success as a country. NOAA expends a great deal of effort to protect and strengthen this region and I hope through this festival visitors will learn why that is such a vital mission. I would like to take this opportunity to recognize our fellow sponsors of the Waterway theme including the State of Maryland, National Endowment for the Arts, and Chesapeake Gateways Network/National Park Service; with generous contributions from Virginia Historic Resources, Mary Ball Washington Museum & Library, St. Mary's White Chapel Episcopal Church, Maryland Arts Council, North Carolina Arts Council, North Carolina Tourism, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Phillips Seafood, The Nature Conservancy, and the National Marine Sanctuary Foundation. More than half of the U.S. population lives within 50 miles of the coast – an area that makes up only 11 percent of the land area in the lower 48 states. That number is expected to continue to rise. With the growing population (not to mention the millions that vacation each year in coastal areas), historic coastal regions like the Mid Atlantic are facing ever increasing pressures and challenges, not the least of which is losing their cultural heritage. As a lifelong sailor in the Navy and now NOAA Administrator, I am acutely aware of the balance between economic progress and cultural preservation. I for one believe that they can co-exist, but not without people understanding the important role that cultural traditions play. That is why this festival is so important. NOAA works hard to preserve cultural traditions in ways that can provide some economic benefit. For example, depleted fish stocks are driving many fishermen out of business. We are constantly working to implement policies that will replenish fish stocks and we are developing sustainable fishing practices to ensure fishing continues to flourish as it has for so many generations here in the Mid Atlantic. In fact, this year we have removed 10 fish stocks from the endangered fish list and completely rebuilt four stocks. Environmental characteristics and native species are also a large part of maintaining cultural heritage. As more people continue to live, work and play in coastal regions, it becomes even more important that we promote environmental stewardship to focus on a responsible interaction with the environment. NOAA has many programs to help protect these valuable resources such as the National Estuarine Research Reserves or NERRs. Over 130,000 acres in the Mid-Atlantic region are protected as part of NERRs program. These sites provide essential habitat for wildlife; offer educational opportunities for students, teachers and the public; and serve as living laboratories for scientists. NOAA’s National Marine Sanctuary program conserves, protects, and enhances the biodiversity, ecological integrity and cultural legacy of some of our most valuable marine resources. Here in the Mid Atlantic, the Monitor National Marine Sanctuary – the 1st of 13 sanctuaries nationwide, protects the wreck of the famed Civil War ironclad USS Monitor to preserve this significant part of our past for future generations. We are excited to have exhibits here on many important species native to the area, interactive displays to teach visitors about how to protect the environment, and many examples of the products and services NOAA has to offer. I hope these help contribute to people’s understanding the rich culture in the Mid Atlantic coastal region and why it is so important to protect. Thank you again and I wish you much success in this year’s festival.