There are a lot of pleasures that come with being the Secretary of the Interior. One of the real delights is the chance to meet with people like you, the 2005 Take Pride in America Award Winners. You are Americans who are living their citizenship; patriots who are giving of themselves to make this Nation a brighter place.

There are many who fulfill their obligations - following the laws and participating in elections. They strengthen the civic order. But there are a few like you, who rise above the essential duties of citizenship. You freely give your time. You willingly give your toil. You make this Nation great.

Each of you has done exemplary works of service. But each of you has done more - you have reached out, you have touched others with the value of taking pride.

Your efforts to collaborate and partner were critical to your recognition today. By passing on the ethic of stewardship, you have multiplied its effect. By encouraging volunteerism, you have ensured that what is green today will remain growing tomorrow.

After all, today's volunteer is tomorrow's steward. Because of you, stewardship is coursing all across this Nation, and will continue to do so.

You, the 25 National Award winners, represent profound improvements in the public lands of more than 15 states. Each of them represents countless hours of care toward the timeless value of stewardship.

Your hands have been busy all across this Nation, from Anchorage, Alaska to Cumberland, Maryland. You are providing fishing buddies for disadvantaged kids and creating a hiking trail through the most rugged of mountains.

Donna Horan, an individual award winner, is typical of the exceptional service and stewardship that each of you has demonstrated. A few years ago, Donna saw an enormous amount of trash in the Boise River. She organized River Sweep, an annual cleanup effort.

The ethic of stewardship now meanders through the bayous of the Anahuac National Wildlife Refuge, near Galveston Texas. They designed and constructed a unique Butterfly and Hummingbird Landscape.

Stewardship is beating in the Heartland as well, thanks to a group of Girl Scouts from New Concord Ohio. The Scouts dug a wetland, built benches and birdhouses, and even constructed a nature trail.

At Deer Creek Elementary School in Edmond Oklahoma, science students learn about stewardship in a unique living outdoor laboratory known as Antlerville. Antlerville contains wetlands, a butterfly and vegetable garden, even an outdoor amphitheater. It was created through a collaborative effort which involved many partners.

Toyota has been a great partner in conservation. It was one of the leading corporate sponsors of the World Expo in Japan, which highlighted environmentally friendly technologies. I saw that technology first-hand when I visited the Expo earlier this summer, and I even enjoyed a ride in a prototype hydrogen fuel car.

Many corporations have helped TPIA directly. The Walt Disney Company has been an important partner. So have recreational equipment and vehicle manufacturers.

Take Pride in America encourages volunteerism on all public lands, from national parks, refuges, and monuments to city parks and secluded beaches. From the Department of the Interior's perspective, we simply could not do our jobs without the wonderful contributions of volunteers.

There has been an incredible outpouring of volunteer effort in the wakes of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. People have been doing everything from using their boats to rescue people from flooded roofs to passing out water bottles to reuniting anxious families with their pets.

Volunteerism is a wonderful impulse - showing the best of the human spirit.

In the aftermath of the hurricane's devastation, volunteers are stepping forward to help the natural world as well as displaced humans.

One of today's honorees offers a model for those efforts. Following Florida's four hurricane strikes last fall, the state set up a new Take Pride program. Volunteers pledged more than 400,000 hours to restore Florida's public lands.

Last night, the National Fish and Wildlife Federation announced a campaign to help wildlife and refuges affected by Rita and Katrina. The task is enormous. Two dozen national wildlife refuges and six national park units were damaged by this year's hurricanes, some severely. Even more state and local areas were impacted. In tackling such a huge problem, public and private partnerships will be essential.

I am so grateful for the many ways that each of you have served and sacrificed. I am so thankful for the many ways each of you has reached out to others and taught them the ethic of stewardship and the value of Taking Pride.

Thank you for your service. Thank you for your stewardship. Because of you, this country is a brighter place today. Because of you, this country will be a greater place tomorrow.

Thank you.