Remarks Prepared for Delivery by Interior Secretary Gale Norton
Mount Rainier National Park
July 25th, 2001

Thank you, Superintendent Jarvis. Mount Rainier contains extraordinary resources that people love. It's easy to see why President McKinley established this just the fifth National Park in 1899. Mount Rainier is a great symbol of the Northwest. It's mighty, it's powerful and its beauty and majesty rise far above the earth below.

People orient their houses toward Rainier, and generations of American families journey to Paradise meadows to pose for family pictures that fill countless frames and photo albums throughout our country.

Today, we're highlighting an initiative that will help save the great meadow at Paradise -and other special places throughout Rainier -and in national parks across this vast nation.

President Bush has requested a $20 million increase. A 67 percent hike - for the Natural Resource Challenge. This important program will allow the Park Service to foster innovative natural resource partnerships, increase the collection of resource data, conduct inventories and monitoring of threatened and endangered species, and control threats posed by non-native plants and animals.

The Natural Resource Challenge is already working at Rainier. More than 3/4 of a million people visit Paradise meadows each year. The area is a virtual rainbow of some of the brightest and most vivid flowers in the world.

From Purple Heather to the Scarlet petals of the Paintbrush flower, from the gorgeous Blue Lupen to yellow beaming from the Snow Buttercups - it's a scene that brings smiles to all and allows us to reflect on the great gifts we must protect.

Unfortunately, for Paradise meadows popularity also brought problems. Foot traffic crushed some areas, causing erosion to occur and top soil to wash away.

The Natural Resource Challenge will allow us to restore Paradise meadows. The soil is being replaced. Native flowers are being replanted.

Local students and other volunteers are helping - and I'm happy to report life is slowly returning to Paradise meadows.

The Natural Resource Challenge also allows us to protect Rainier's endangered Bull Trout, Marbled Murrelets, Salamanders, Spotted Owls and other threatened and endangered species.

The Natural Resource Challenge helps our parks stay healthy so millions of Americans can experience the outdoors, and appreciate the awesome things nature has to offer.

Under this Administration, the Park Service will also exercise environmental leadership and lead the way in energy efficiency and conservation.

The park is replacing propane-fueled generators at the White River facilities with a solar-hybrid generation system. Bonneville Power Administration has agreed to replace wasteful appliances throughout the park with models that conserve energy. The park is also converting park vehicles and generators from diesel to biodiesel fuel to lower harmful emissions.

This Administration is committed making our park service an innovative partner in developing new conservation techniques that inspire better conservation and more environmental protection.

President Bush is also committed to repairing and rebuilding our parks. He is honoring his pledge to end the $4.9 billion backlog of maintenance problems throughout our parks over the next five years. These problems are hindering families^' enjoyment of the parks and threatening the long-term security of the greatest examples of our nation's natural resources and cultural heritage.

Our Department will repair the Paradise Guide House. This registered National Landmark is a must-stop for mountain climbers before trekking to the summit. Age and neglect have left the building's foundation slumping and crumbling. Just one old stairwell provides fire escape for the three-story structure. I'm happy to say, on behalf of President Bush, help is on the way.

We'll rebuild Paradise Guide House and hundreds of other projects in our parks. From the Yellowstone sewer that is leaking waste into water supplies, to the crumbling buildings in Philadelphia where our founders wrote the Declaration of Independence and the Bill of Rights -we will once again make our park system whole and well.

To NPS employees, President Bush gave me a great honor in January when he asked me to serve as the 48th Secretary of the Interior. The first 47 all had one thing in common-they were all men. In June, President Bush made history again. He appointed Fran Mainella as the first woman to direct the National Park Service. You're going to really like working with Fran. Fran is already sparking energy and her enthusiasm is contagious.

Fran was director of the Florida division of Recreation and Parks. Her department was recently named America's Best State Park System. Now she's in charge of the greatest park system on Earth -and she's ready to make it even better.

To the employees at Mount Rainier, I offer my thanks. You are the person who smiles and gives sound advice to a traveler in need. You extend your hand with help when danger appears. You love this land. You take great care of it so future generations can learn about nature, view these sites, breathe this air, and feel the power and majesty of this mountain.

You are the heart and the soul of the National Park Service, and on behalf of the people of America, thank you.