This is National Wildlife Refuge Week

Thank you. I am glad to be here, to celebrate the culmination of a long process of study, the creation of a new wildlife refuge, and the continued commitment of this administration to preserving and creating wetlands.

The service has spent four years studying the area's potential as a wildlife refuge. An environmental assessment has been done; alternatives for restoration and preservation have been studied; public comments have been heard and reviewed.

The studied judgment of Fish and Wildlife Service and its Director Steve Williams is that an area of more than 35,000 acres should become a refuge.

Therefore, I am pleased to announce that Glacial Ridge will become the Glacial Ridge National Wildlife Refuge.

This will become the 545th refuge in the National Wildlife System.

Currently, less than 1 percent of Minnesota's original prairie habitat is still in existence. By granting permanent refuge status, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service will join numerous partners in continuing the largest combination wetlands and tallgrass prairie restoration project in U.S. history.

The Nature Conservancy began to restore this land more than three years ago. When the restoration is complete, the refuge will be an important breeding ground for waterfowl and shorebirds, Sandhill Cranes and Greater Prairie Chickens. It will provide an expanded habitat for the endangered western prairie fringed orchid.

We consulted with state leaders and local landowners. Support has been overwhelming. Local governments and landowners have commented favorably on the project.

The Nature Conservancy has been a partner of primary importance. (Ron Nargang, the director of the Minnesota Chapter of the Nature Conservancy will be in audience) It currently owns much of the land and plans to donate a portion of it.

The rest of the lands will be paid for through the Migratory Bird Conservation Fund, which is funded through the sale of Federal Duck Stamps.

The president and I are convinced that if conservation is to be successful, the government must involve the people who live and work on the land. The Four C's of Communication, Consultation, and Cooperation, all in the service of Conservation, have formed the cornerstone of my tenure at Interior.

The new refuge is also an example of the commitment this administration has made to protecting wildlife and wetlands.

The refuge is likely to have many other benefits as well. Last year, the Fish and Wildlife Service released a report which showed that the National Wildlife Refuge system provides millions of dollars of benefits to communities. Refuge status provides greater public opportunity for hunting and fishing, photography and bird watching, and other wildlife dependent recreation.

The creation of this refuge marks the culmination of study, but it also represents a recommitment to recreation and conservation.

Together, we will continue to transform this land into a wetland and prairie, a refuge and a retreat. I am pleased to announce the creation of the Glacier Ridge National Wildlife Refuge.

[Introduce Ron Nargang, the director of the Minnesota Chapter of the Nature Conservancy.]