Over the past two years, I have had the wonder privilege of visiting a number of lighthouses, from Alaska to California to Boston Harbor. I've even climbed the Jupiter lighthouse.

There is a mystique to lighthouses. They are a symbol of adventure, of the seafaring life, of setting sail to explore. They are a symbol of strength, a haven in the storm and a homecoming to a sheltered port. They are a symbol, and a part of the substance of, the beauty of the seacoast.

The Jupiter lighthouse is a beautiful structure, and it has a dominating vista of this area.

Today, I am pleased to be here, to transfer ownership of Jupiter Lighthouse Park to the town of Jupiter.

The patent that I am issuing today will give you, the partners in this park and the citizens of this town, certainty that the parkland, for which you have shown such exemplary care, will remain in your stewardship.

As such, the patent is both a culmination of the partnership and a continuance of it, a living example of the power of communication, consultation and cooperation, all in the service of conservation.

In 1996, when the Coast Guard transferred 86 acres to the Bureau of Land Management, you formed the Jupiter Working Group, a partnership of seven entities including the BLM, the town of Jupiter, Palm Beach County, the Village of Tequesta, the U.S. Coast Guard, the Jupiter High School and the Loxahatchie River Historical Society.

The work of the working group has been outstanding, so much so that last year, it became the first recipient of a 4 C's award in the entire Eastern United States. The award recognizes people who make extraordinary contributions in the spirit of my Four C's - "communication, consultation, and cooperation, all in the service of conservation."

The town has spent three-quarters of a million dollars renovating the park, putting in drainage systems and parking lots; installing playing fields and pavilions.

The town's investments have added to the value of not simply this parkland, but of the entire community.

With today's transfer, the town of Jupiter will keep the title of the parkland so long as it is maintained and kept for public use. The Bureau of Land Management will reduce its oversight, allowing you to better care for this land as you see fit.

More than seventeen acres will be transferred. This land means so much to so many different people. The park's tennis courts and soccer fields make it a place of play. The park's historic barracks and their connection to the landmark Jupiter lighthouse make it a place of learning.

That is an example of the care that partnerships and cooperation can produce. President Bush and I truly believe that locals - like you - are often the best stewards of land. You know its needs best; you will benefit the most by its stewardship.

This is an example of how my philosophy of cooperative conservation produces tangible results.

It is not just adults who have demonstrated outstanding stewardship. My deputy for Land and Minerals Management, presented a Take Pride in America Secretarial Award to one of the partners in the Jupiter Inlet Working Group, the students at Jupiter High School. (some of whom are here)

Those students had spent more than 3,000 hours volunteering at the Jupiter Inlet Natural Area, lending their hands to improve the land by removing exotic plants and reintroducing native plant species; planting scrub oaks and potting mangrove seeds.

Like the seeds they planted, the students shooting up through Jupiter High School will continue to give back to the land - as will all the other members of the community. They will now have the Lighthouse Park, not merely as a place of play, but also as a place of personal responsibility.

In taking this patent, you are again displaying your stewardship. As enjoy and care for Lighthouse Park, you are preserving it as a place for inspiration and recreation for this generation and the generations to come.

I am glad to have this opportunity to grant this patent. Keep the promise, keep the parkland well, and it will continue to give back in countless ways.