Secretary Jewell's Farewell to Employees

One of the joys of this job has been working with our career staff who year in and year out protect and preserve and understand places like this. My message to our employees is, "Thank you for your service. Thank you for taking the heat that it takes to be a federal government official in this day and age and recognizing that you have the gift of a higher calling. You have the gift of making a difference that will impact people for generations to come, from furthering our knowledge of science the deepening our trust and treaty responsibilities to our nation's first people, the indigenous people of this nation -- to protecting and preserving land water and wildlife and doing it in a way that's really thoughtful and that includes balancing conservation with development in a way that's really smart." So, I want to thank the employees of the Department of Interior for your incredible work day in and day out to take that long view, to do what's right not just for now but for future generations, because remember we don't inherit the earth from our ancestors we borrow it from our children -- and you are crafting that world that our children will take on to the next level and there's no greater gift and be able to then being able to make that kind of difference in the lives of other people.