Remarks (As Prepared): Ohio Outdoor Writers Event

REMARKS [AS PREPARED]: OHIO OUTDOOR WRITERS EVENT

Thank you for that introduction Dr. Blumer, and thanks to all of you for the invitation to come here and speak this evening. Isn't this a great place? I was here in 2003 with my family on our annual bus trip across Ohio and was amazed at the diverse wildlife living right here and by the dedicated staff who have made this such an outstanding facility. I only wish I would have been able to get here earlier today and join you on your tour!

As I was thinking about what I wanted to say to you tonight, I started thinking about all of you -- my hosts and my audience. And the more I thought of you and the times I've met many of you while traveling around Ohio, something struck me. You are one lucky group of people!

You get to spend a lot of time fishing and boating on Ohio's rivers and lakes. You get to hunt and hike in our forests and fields and write about Ohio's numerous natural resource treasures and the great Ohioans who work to protect them. Not a bad deal, if you ask me!!

While I may not spend as many days outdoors as you -- certainly not nearly as many as I would like -- I think we have something in common because I count myself as lucky, too. Along with my wife Fran and our children, I've seen bald eagles and trumpeter swans and other species return and thrive in Ohio. I've canoed and fished with my children and grandchildren on several Ohio creeks and streams and hiked in many of our exceptional forests, parks, wetlands, prairies and marshes.

So here we are -- all of us -- so very fortunate. But, with our good fortune comes something else, something very important -- responsibility.

One of our country's greatest conservation leaders, President Theodore Roosevelt, once said this:

"To waste, to destroy our natural resources, to skin and exhaust the land. . . will result in undermining, in the days of our children, the very prosperity which we ought by right to hand down to them."

President Roosevelt was absolutely right.

I firmly believe that we all have a responsibility -- as families or neighbors, outdoor writers or Senators -- to do our part to make sure our children and grandchildren are just as lucky as we have been. We have a responsibility to make sure they have the opportunity to enjoy the great natural resources that we have enjoyed throughout our lives.

I think that is a critical duty of a United States Senator, and I have to say that some of my most rewarding projects in the Senate have been those times when I know I have been able to help preserve a wetland or protect a forest or build a bike trail.

I may never know the countless people who will spend time in those places that I've been lucky enough to protect, but I know they are out there, and they will be out there long after I'm gone. Some day, some young child will experience the wonder of nature while chasing frogs in a marsh that I helped protect. Or some man or woman will find an escape from the stress of their lives by taking a few hours to go fishing in a stream that I helped prevent from being lost to development. Let me tell you -- that feeling is one of the greatest parts of my job. It is truly satisfying.

During my career in the Senate, I've looked for ways to protect Ohio's natural resources. For example, several years ago, I found there was a federal grant program designed to help purchase and protect ecologically important land that borders our country's coasts. Unfortunately, most federal funding for coastal projects goes almost exclusively to the East and West Coasts, and -- as too often has been the case -- the Great Lakes don't get their fair share. Now, that really bothers me.

So, I started working with my friends at the Ohio Department of Natural Resources and with county metro parks and conservation groups to identify and fund the purchase of critical pieces of habitat along Lake Erie through this coastal program. I've been fortunate enough, as a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, to direct over $14 million to purchase critical wetlands, parks, and beaches along Lake Erie, including: North Bass Island, critical wetlands in East Sandusky Bay, lands around the Grand River and Mentor Marsh, and Pond Brooke in Summit County.

Jeff Frishcorn and I even had the opportunity to canoe down the Grand River a couple summers ago and see one of these purchases that has since been turned into a public access location. I'm working on several projects right now to add to that list, and I hope to be able to make some announcements about new purchases soon.

As I said earlier, far too often the Great Lakes don't get their fair share of federal resources. As Co-chairman of the Great Lakes Task Force, I've spent several years working to increase the amount of federal funding and attention that is paid to this unique national treasure. What I quickly realized was that one of our biggest challenges was the lack of a unified vision for the Great Lakes. As you can imagine, it was hard to advocate for more resources when there was no agreement in the region about what was needed.

So, I started encouraging state and local officials to come up with a long-term plan. I successfully encouraged President Bush to put together a process to bring all the interested parties to the table. After a couple years of hard work by over a thousand dedicated individuals in the region, we now have a clear map of where we need to go.

Of course, like many things, it all comes down to money. With the costs of homeland security, hurricane recovery, and the war on terror, it is going to be difficult to quickly secure the funding I would like to see for the region. But, this is a long process and won't be completed at once. We've taken several good steps already, and I'm committed to continuing to keep pushing my colleagues in Washington every year to take more steps in this effort.

We are making progress. For example, one of the goals that came out of this process was the need to clean up polluted rivers flowing into the Great Lakes. Several years ago, we got the Great Lakes Legacy Act signed into law, which I carried in the Senate. Just last fall, I negotiated a deal with the Environmental Protection Agency to direct $25 million from this Act to clean up contaminated sediments in the Ashtabula River, which is one of the top goals of the Great Lakes Restoration process.

I haven't just been focused on the Great Lakes, I've also secured millions of dollars to expand parks in central Ohio, build bike trails across the state, and improve public access facilities on the Wayne National Forest.

But, protecting the environment isn't always easy. I've cast some pretty tough environmental votes during my career in Washington -- votes that haven't always been appreciated by some members of my own party.

I voted against drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, and I voted to restore the Endangered Species Act and to end the moratorium on listing of new species and habitats. I voted to restrict timber road construction on federal lands, and I even cast the deciding vote against legislation that would have eliminated the ability of President Clinton and future Presidents to designate and expand national monuments -- a 90-year old land protection program established by President Theodore Roosevelt.

Now, before I take some questions, I just want to encourage you to keep educating Ohioans about the outstanding natural resources Ohio has to offer. I'll keep fighting in Washington to make sure our children and grandchildren will be as lucky as we have been to enjoy these special places. We owe it to them.

Thanks again for having me here tonight.

http://dewine.senate.gov/