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Skriven 2007-03-02 23:31:18 av Whitehouse Press (1:3634/12.0)
Ärende: Press Release (0703029) for Fri, 2007 Mar 2
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Mrs. Bush's Remarks at the Announcement of the Native Hawaiian Name for the
Northwestern Hawaiian Islands Marine National Monument
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For Immediate Release Office of the First Lady March 2, 2007

Mrs. Bush's Remarks at the Announcement of the Native Hawaiian Name for the
Northwestern Hawaiian Islands Marine National Monument Washington Place
Honolulu, Hawaii


˙˙˙˙˙ Fact Sheet: Fulfilling the President's Vision for the Northwestern
Hawaiian Islands Marine National Monument

9:52 A.M. (Local)

MRS. BUSH: Thank you very much, Governor Lingle, thank you for the --
(laughter) -- that's not even Hawaiian. (Laughter.) Thank you for the very
kind introduction, and thank you for your warm welcome to your beautiful
state. It seems even more beautiful today after I looked at the weather
report in Washington, where we'll be going back this afternoon.

As we bask in this beautiful weather, we do want to take a moment to think
about the people in Alabama and Georgia who suffered tornadoes last night,
and the loss of life. And I know they're suffering, and I know that
Americans everywhere are thinking about them and praying for them.

I also want to acknowledge, of course, your Lieutenant Governor, Governor
Aiona. Thank you for being here. Our United States Department of Interior
Secretary Dirk Kempthorne, thank you for joining me, and for joining me
yesterday at the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands. David Sampson, the Deputy
Secretary, U.S. Department of Commerce, thank you for joining us. Jim
Connaughton, the Chairman of the Council on Environmental Quality, who has
worked so hard at the White House, I want you all to know that, that he's
been working in Washington for literally years now since we first showed
"Voyage to Kure," to make sure that this day would come when we would be
able to give the Northwestern Hawaiian Island Marine Monument its native
name. Thank you very much, Jim, for that. Uncle Buzzy Agard and Aunt Pua,
thank you very much also for joining us today.

I want to thank all the preservationists, the conservationists, the
researchers, the local officials, the state senators and representatives,
the cultural leaders, and the distinguished guests who are here today that
have made this occasion possible. Thank you for coming to celebrate this
exciting moment in the history of Hawaii and in the history of our country.

Stretching 1,200 miles west from here is the world's most remote chain of
islands, the Northwestern Hawaiian Archipelago. For 28 million years, these
islands have been oases of rock and sand, found where the turquoise sea
meets the wide-open sky. They're home to delicate flowers and grasses. They
serve as nesting grounds for 14 million birds. Thousands of aquatic species
call these island waters home -- from Sea Lettuce, to Chocolate Chip Sea
Cucumber, to the Bandit Angelfish, to the Convict Tang, to the Hawaiian
green sea turtles.

Hawaiian sea green turtles have navigated these waters for 150 million
years. Sixteen million years ago, they were joined by the playful monk
seals. Today, both of these creatures are highly endangered, and the
Northwestern Hawaiian Islands are their last refuge on earth.

The Northwestern Hawaiian Islands are home to 7,000 marine species, a
quarter of which are found nowhere else on earth. They represent some of
our country's most extraordinary natural treasures, and all of us have the
obligation to protect them for millennia to come.

Preservation -- of our environment, our history, and our culture -- is an
issue that President Bush and I care about very deeply. In 2003, the
President announced the Preserve America initiative to encourage
communities to protect our natural and cultural heritage. I'd like to
congratulate the people of Hawaii on their first Preserve America Community
-- the Chinatown Special Historic District, right here in Honolulu -- which
was dedicated last May. In June 2006, President Bush demonstrated his
commitment to preserving Hawaii's natural treasures when he established the
Northwestern Hawaiian Islands Marine National Monument.

This designation safeguards more than 140,000 square miles of aquatic
sanctuary -- the largest protected marine area in the world. It prohibits
unauthorized shipping and the removal of marine life. And it establishes a
living laboratory where researchers can learn how to protect ocean
ecosystems around the globe.

The monument also reflects the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands' important
role in human history. Hundreds of years before Columbus crossed the
Atlantic, early Hawaiians sailed the vast expanse of the Pacific. They
erected sacred shrines that remain intact today, providing a cultural link
between ancient Hawaiians and their descendants. When President Bush
established the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands Marine National Monument, he
assured that the atolls' cultural significance would be reflected in a
native Hawaiian name.

Today, I'm delighted to announce that the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands
will be named the Papahanaumokuakea Marine National Monument. (Applause.)
The Papahanaumokuakea Marine National Monument name was adopted after
consultation with native Hawaiian elders, and it suggests the abundance and
timelessness of life on the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands. Most important,
the name reminds us of our responsibility to care for the archipelago.

For Aulani Wilhelm, the monument's NOAA Superintendent and a member of the
native Hawaiian community, caring for the archipelago means preserving
Hawaiian culture. According to traditional genealogy, the islands' marine
life, land, wind, and rain are beloved ancestors. And as Aulani explains:
"It's important to go back there to let our ancestors know that we haven't
forgotten them."

Papahanaumokuakea also ensures that Aulani's ancestors will be honored
through responsible conservation. The monument will preserve native
Hawaiians' access to the islands for cultural practices, and give elders
more opportunities to study the artifacts of their ancestry. Practitioners
can return to the places where their predecessors worshiped hundreds of
years ago. Now, their descendants will be able to follow in their
footsteps.

For Cindy Waddington, a volunteer with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
on Midway, caring for the archipelago means protecting the millions of
birds that call these islands home. Midway's ancient Hawaiian name,
Pihemanu, means "the loud din of birds." After her first sleepless night
courtesy of the Laysan albatross, Cindy realized that the name was
well-deserved. And actually, we all realized that, too, when we slept there
night before last.

Right now, the albatross, the Laysan albatross, has nested, and there are
millions of little chicks everywhere. Everywhere you step you have to watch
to make sure you don't step on one of these vulnerable little chicks. They
have no natural predators. They nest right on the grounds. The parents, the
mating pair, who mate for life, leave their baby chicks to go fish and then
come back and bring them their food. And it really -- you become so
protective of these little chicks, they're so vulnerable. These precious
little chicks have really served to remind all of us how vulnerable life is
everywhere, but especially on these sacred islands.

This year, it was such a privilege to be able to see these and to be able
to spend the day yesterday there. Unfortunately, I also saw the marine
debris that threatens the existence of these albatross and other animals
that are there. From plastic toys to discarded computer monitors, trash is
carried by currents from all over the world. Midway's beaches collect
derelict fishing gear from China, medicine bottles from the mainland United
States, cigarette lighters from all over the world. This debris then finds
its way into the birds' stomachs, killing thousands of birds every year.

And we did, more than once, as we walked around yesterday, see the carcass
of a little bird. And you could open it up and see all this plastic,
because the adult albatross fish on the waters, they skim the waters for
squid, and because this plastic floats, they pick it up and then feed it to
their babies.

People everywhere have a responsibility to be good stewards of our
environment, because the trash we throw in our neighborhood gutter can
devastate rare wildlife half a world away. In the Northwestern Hawaiian
Islands, our government is working to keep the reefs and beaches clear of
this dangerous marine debris. In 2006, NOAA picked up 21 tons of debris in
the islands, and has collected more than 560 tons over the last ten years.
Through a partnership between the state of Hawaii and the federal
government, divers have cleared more than 120 tons of derelict fishing gear
off the islands' reef.

Fish and Wildlife Service volunteers on Midway, like Cindy Waddington,
incorporate beach cleanup into their conservation activities. They have
"weed-pulling Fridays" to clear invasive plant species like the Verbesina,
and give Dawn detergent baths to birds who have been caught in an oil
slick. Cindy says that the long hours caring for the archipelago are worth
it. "We're giving the islands back to the birds," she said. "The time we're
investing now will make sure that the Northwest Hawaiian Islands remain the
one-of-a-kind place they've always been."

For Harry Ferrier, caring for the archipelago means respecting the place
where hundreds of Americans gave their lives to preserve our freedom. This
former Navy man is 82 years old -- he likes to call himself an "ancient
mariner" -- but Harry clearly remembers the 17-year-old who served his
country in the most important naval battle in our history.

Early on the morning of June 4th, 1942, Harry's plane was one of the first
to encounter the Imperial Japanese fleet at Midway. Harry had volunteered
to fly in one of six Grumman torpedo planes assigned to the carrier Hornet.
His was the only plane that came back -- but not before taking nine cannon
hits and 47 machine-gun bullets. One of these bullets killed the gunner on
Harry's plane, another wounded the pilot, and two more struck Harry.

Yet with courage and with skill, they returned their plane intact, crash
landing on Midway Atoll. Harry's plane was part of the Torpedo Squadron 8
that helped American bombers move in and destroy four Japanese carriers --
winning the battle of Midway, and turning the tide in the war of the
Pacific.

After the plane's successful attack and landing, which earned the pilot two
Navy Crosses, it was brought to Pearl Harbor. And there it underwent battle
damage assessments that led to mechanical upgrades on the Grumman Avenger.
Those upgrades saved the lives of other American aviators in the war,
including a young Avenger pilot named George H.W. Bush, my father-in-law.

Even though Harry was seriously wounded at Midway, and one of only three
survivors among his squadron's 48 members, he was back in service a month
later. He served aboard the carrier Enterprise, fought at Guadalcanal, and
retired as a Navy commander in 1970. When Harry visits Midway -- most
recently with Dr. Robert Ballard, in search of sunken American and Japanese
carriers -- he remembers the same white sand beaches. He remembers the din
of those albatross. But mostly, Harry said, "I remember my shipmates who
never came back."

To Harry, caring for the archipelago means preserving a place where
Americans can "honor the sacrifices people made to win that war. It's a
place to remember how important they were to our nation, and how, during
one moment's time in Midway's history, they preserved timeless ideals of
freedom."

Midway's military history, too, will be preserved at Papahanaumokuakea,
part of the National Parks Centennial Initiative, which Secretary
Kempthorne will tell us about in a minute. We'll hope to expand visitor
access to Midway Island and educate millions of visitors to the Main
Hawaiian islands about the war in the Pacific.

The last Hawaiian monarch to reside here at Washington Place, Queen
Lili'uokalani, wrote these beautiful words in a Hawaiian national anthem.
In the song, she asks God to "Grant your blessings of peace throughout
these islands." Today, as we give a new name to the Northwestern Hawaiian
Islands, we ask that the Papahanaumokuakea Marine National Monument be
blessed with peace.

These islands are a monument to the sacred native Hawaiians for thousands
of years. They're a monument to the heroism of young Americans during World
War II. And they've sheltered marine species as old as the islands
themselves.

Thanks to each and every one of you for your work to care for this
magnificent archipelago, and may God bless you all. (Applause.)

END 10:09 A.M. (Local)
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