As every American certainly knows by now, our nation's 38th President, Gerald Ford, passed away in the waning days of 2006. Although Ford is remembered for his endeavors as a collegiate athlete and his role in helping the nation recover from Watergate and Vietnam, few people realize his connection to the National Park Service. Ford was the only President to serve as a park ranger, working as a seasonal employee at Yellowstone in the summer of 1936. And during his brief time in office, he oversaw the creation of 18 national parks, including Big Cypress National Preserve, Big Thicket National Preserve, and Valley Forge National Historical Park.
On August 29th, 1976, Ford returned to Yellowstone and used the nation's bicentennial as an opportunity to pledge his support for one of its greatest assets--the National Park System. As you'll read, Ford hoped to double the size of the nation's parks and recreation areas with an investment of $1.5 billion over ten years. It was a promise he was unable to keep, as he lost the presidential election to Jimmy Carter several months later. But as the nation prepares for the centennial of the Park Service in 2016, the words Ford spoke 30 years ago serve to remind us of the value of investing in “America's greatest idea.”
Labor Day, next weekend, marks the end of a glorious summer. It means one more carefree holiday before we all go back to school, back to work, back to the duties we must do to build better lives for ourselves, our children, and our country.
For many families it means one last chance to get out of town, out into the sun, under the stars, close to nature's beauties and nature's creatures. For me this is a moment that I have been looking forward to for a long, long time--to return to Yellowstone where I spent one of the greatest summers of my life.
I have been telling my family about that summer ever since... And this time, I brought some of the family along. [My son,] Jack, as you know, is no stranger to Yellowstone. Two years ago this month he was working as a ranger at a tower station--actually, he was out fishing--when he got a sudden summons to come to Washington to see his old man get a new job.
So, today, it is a sentimental return to the scene of wonderful memories for two of the Fords and a new experience for [my daughter] Susan, who hopes to get some good Yellowstone photographs like she did last summer at Yosemite.
Family vacations--especially among the majestic mountains of the West--are a tradition of our family. My parents always took my brothers and myself to lakes and woods in my state of Michigan before I was big enough to go myself as a Boy Scout. There is something wonderful about the wide open spaces that is almost a necessity for Americans. Being alone with nature strengthens our love for one another and for our country.
For those who live close to the land, this is nothing new. But as more and more Americans live in cities, the lure of the mountains, the beaches, the lakes, the rivers becomes more and more compelling. So, I have a serious as well as a sentimental reason for this visit today.
Our Bicentennial Fourth of July turned out to be a very profound experience for millions and millions of Americans.
Somehow, despite our difficulties and our differences--perhaps because of them--Americans recaptured the essential spirit and greatness that makes us a very special kind of people. We realized again what a wonderful thing it is just to be an American.
As I thought about the changes that have taken place in this great country--not only in the last two years but during the last two centuries--I also thought about those things that must never change. Those unchanging things really make us Americans. They are the things we must pass on to future generations. Some are intangible, invisible--our deep religious and moral convictions, our bonds of family and community, our political values embodied in the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution. But we have other common treasures that are material and visible, that can be damaged and destroyed by man. We must be equally committed to conserve and to cherish our incomparable natural heritage--our wildlife, our air, our waters, and our land, itself.
More than a century ago we began to save our natural heritage for the enjoyment of future Americans with the National Park System, of which Yellowstone is the oldest and the largest. This year alone we expect 260 million Americans to visit and enjoy our 287 national parks that spread from the Virgin Islands to Maine to Alaska and to Hawaii. And I am sure there are times when some of you thought that all 260 million people were camping on your camp site. [Laughter]
We have had a wonderful Bicentennial. We celebrated what our patriotic founders and our immigrant ancestors handed down to us. We renewed our vows to their vision of freedom and equality. But I found myself saying we ought to do more. Can't we do something special, as our Bicentennial birthday present to future generations, a gift that will be gratefully remembered 100 years from now? We can.
I, therefore, decided upon a 10-year national commitment to double [the expanse of] America's national parks, recreation areas, wildlife sanctuaries, urban parks, and historic sites.
I will send to the Congress, Tuesday, a Bicentennial Land Heritage Act, which calls for a pledge of $1500 million during the next 10 years. It will more than double our present acreage of land for national parks, recreation areas, and wildlife sanctuaries; beginning development of these new lands to make them accessible and enjoyable; improving facilities and increasing dedicated personnel at existing national parks; making available $200 million for urban parks; bringing the benefits of nature to those who live in our cities; and accelerating the development of parklands and sanctuaries now delayed for lack of manpower and of money.
This national commitment means we may have to tighten our belts elsewhere a bit, but it is the soundest investment in the future of America that I can envision. We must act now to prevent the loss of treasures that can never be replaced for ourselves, our children, and for future generations of Americans.
I call upon all Americans--our Bicentennial generation which has enjoyed the blessings of liberty and the pursuit of happiness, ours for 200 years--to join in a great new undertaking to improve the quality of our lives and of our land... I remember as a ranger the first time I stood alone on Inspiration Point over at Canyon Station looking out over this beautiful land. I thought to myself how lucky I was that my parents' and grandparents' generation had the vision and the determination to save it for us. Now it is our turn to make our own gift outright to those who will come after us, 15 years, 40 years, 100 years from now. I want to be as faithful to my grandchildren's generation as Old Faithful has been to ours. What better way can we add a new dimension to our third century of freedom?
