Audio File US Secretary of Interior Calls For "New Environmentalism"
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Gale Norton, the nation’s first female Secretary of the Department of Interior, addressed beef producers during the closing session of the 2003 annual Cattle Industry Convention in Nashville. The convention ran from Jan. 29 through Feb. 1 and hosted nearly 6,000 producers and beef industry leaders from across the country.
During her address, Norton said that through her public service she hopes to help America build a healthier environment and a more secure economy. To achieve this she said, "We need to initiate what I call a ‘new environmentalism,’ and each citizen must take responsibility and become a steward of the land."
Norton said she recognizes that in the past environmentalism has had more conflict than consensus. But in the future she looks to the Four C’s – Communication, Consultation, and Cooperation, all to the service of Conservation. "For this to be successful, we must involve the people who live on, work on and love the land."
That said, Norton expressed that she and the Bush administration are committed to working with ranch families. "Our Department is committed to working one-on-one, in partnership, with you."
Speaking about issues like public lands grazing and threatened and endangered species, she said, "We need involvement from public land ranchers – and all stakeholders – to help develop real reforms."
As an example of the cooperation, she reported that the proposed budget for 2004 will ask for a new $11 million to fund forward-thinking water initiatives and help producers deal with drought.
In closing, Norton reminded attendees that our nation was founded on the principle of working together. She said, "We must apply the same sense of urgency to develop new environmentalism, ensuring our children and grandchildren inherit a nation that is as beautiful and strong as the one we inherited."
Norton concluded with a quote from General Patton saying, "Never tell people how to do things. Tell them what to do, and they will surprise you with their ingenuity."
She added, "If we challenge each other, we will create a new generation of citizen conservationists, people who know the land, love the land, and take care of the land in the greatest tradition of our nation. Working together, we will get the job done."
— By Kindra Gordon