Evening star., 1947-12-07

EVERGLADES CITY, FId., Dec.
6.-Prestdent Trumdn's speech
dedicating the Everglades Ma
ttondl Park folloWS.:
Not often in these demanding
days are We able to lay aside the
problems Of the times and turn to a
project whose great value lies in the
enrichment of the human spirit. To-
day we mark the achievement Of an
other great conservation victory. We
nhave permanently safeguarded an
irreplaceable primitive area. We
have assembled to dedicate to the
use of all the people for all time the
Everglades National Park
Here in Everglades City we can
savor the atmosphere of this beau
tiful tropical area. Southeast of us
lies the coast of the Everglades Park.
cut by islands and estuaries Of The
Gulf of Mexico. Here are deep riv-
ers, giant groves Of co'orful man
grove trees, prairie marshes and in
Vulnerable lakes and streams.
In this park we shall preserve tar
pom, trout and Pompano, bear, deer
and crocodiles-and rare birds of
great beauty. We shall protect hun
dreds of kinds of wild life which
might otherwise soon be extinct.
Sees Lasting Benefits.
The benefits our Nation will derive
from this dedication will outlast the
~ xr;i11
with the passage of the years. Few
actions could make a more lasting
contribution to the enjoyment of the
American people than the establish
ment of the Everglades National
Park.
Our national park system is clear
expression of the idealism of the
American people. Without regard
for sectional rivalries or for party
politics. The Nation has advanced
constantly in the last rs years in the
protection of its natural beauties
and wonders.
The success of our efforts to con-
serve the scenery and wild life of
the country can be measured in pop
ular use. The national park system
covers but fraction Of l per cent of
the area of the United States, but
over $4,000, 900 of our fellow country
men have visited our national parks
within the past year. Each citizen
returned to his home with a re-
freshed spirit and greater appre-
citation of xhe majesty and beauty of
our country.
Peoples Parks.
These are the peoples parks,
owned by young and old, by those in
the cities and those on the farms.
Most Of them are ours today because
there were Americans many years
ago who exercised vision, patience
and unselfsh devotion In the battle
for conservation.
Each national park possesses
qualities distinctive enough to make
its preservation matter of concern
to the whole Nation. Certainly, this
Everglades area has more than its
share Of features unique to these
United States. Here are no lofty
peaks seeking the sky, no mighty
glaciers or rushing streams wearing
away the uplifted land. Here is land,
tranquil in its quiet beauty, serving
not as the source of water but as
the last receiver of it. To its natural
abundance we owe the spectacular
plant and animal life that distin-
guishes this place from all others in
our country.
Our park system also embraces
such national shrines as Jamestown
Island, the Statue of Liberty, and
the Battlefelds of Yorktown and
Gettysburg. These historic places
rs much as the scenic areas-also
need to be protected with all the
devotion at our command in these
days when We are learning again the
Importance Of an understanding
loyalty to our national heritage.
Part of Conservation Effort.
Our parks are but one part Of the
national effort to conserve our nat
ural resources. Upon these resources
our life as a Nation depends. Our
high level of employment and our
extraordinary production are being
limited by scarcities in some items
Of our natural wealth. This is the
time to develop and replenish our
basic resources.
Conservation has been practiced
for many decades and preached for
many more, yet only in recent years
has it become plain that we cannot
afford to conserve in haphazard
or piecemeal manner. No part of our
conservation program can be
sighted if we want to make full use
of our resources and have full pro-
lection against future emergencies.
If We waste our minerals by care
less mining and processing, we shall
not be able to build the machinery
to till the land. If we waste the
forests by careless numbering, we
shall lack housing and construction
materials for factory, farm, and
mine. If we waste the water through
failure to build hydroelectric plants,
we shall burn our reserves of coal
and oil needlessly. If we waste our
soil through erosion and failure to
replenish our fields, we shall destroy
the source of our peoples food.
Each Dependent on Others.
Each conservation need is depend
ent on the others. A slashed and
burned forest brings erosion Of up
lands and fills downstream reser-
voirs with silt so that water power
is lessened and irrigated farms lose
their water supplies. Eroded farm
lands contribute to devastating
floods. Uncontrolled rivers mean
lost electricity, farms without water.
and perennial and increasing flood
danger.
To maintain our natural wealth
we must engage in fdll and COM
plete conservation Of all our re-
sources.
Full conservation of our energy
resources can be accomplished by
continued construction of dams, hy-
droelectric plants and transmission
lines; by greater use of natural gas,
by research for more efficient meth
ods OF extraction of coal and oil, and
by exploration for new reserves.