Thank you. I am glad to be with you again, as I was two years ago.

Much has changed over the last two years. Our understanding of coral reefs has grown; our management of coral reefs has improved.

What has not changed is our commitment to coral reef conservation. The President and I value coral reefs as living ecosystems, ever-growing and ever-changing, full of possibilities and potential.

I enjoy snorkeling and scuba diving. It is a great way to look at the reefs - I am fascinated by their beauty.

I have also seen coral that is dead and dying. Its grey and lifeless forms are a shocking contrast to the kaleidoscope of color in living coral.

The coral reefs must be more than protected; they must be preserved for the enjoyment of generations to come.

Federal involvement and local action each have an essential place in the conservation of our coral reefs. That is the reason that we committed $2.7 million to Coral Reef Local Action strategies in the president's budget for fiscal year 2006. About half of that money will come through the Interior Department, and the rest will come from NOAA.

This Task Force and the members of its seven jurisdictions have spent the past two years identifying the principal threats and developing Local Action Strategies to meet them.

There was no one best solution. Reefs face different threats in different areas.

Now this Task Force turns to implementing projects to meet those threats. Over the next three years, you and your local partners will be making tangible improvements to coral conservation.

It is important to show results. We need project goals to be met; we need threats to be reduced. Above all, we want coral to be conserved and reefs to continue to be resources and places of enjoyment.

Healthier reefs will make for healthier oceans. Coral reef conservation forms a significant part of the administration's Ocean Action Plan. In fact, the coral reef elements within that action plan were established on the initiatives and priorities developed by this Task Force.

Given all that already has been accomplished, I am truly pleased - but not really surprised - that the U.S. Ocean Commission was highly complementary to this Task Force.

I am also pleased by the efforts of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Since 1994, the service has protected more than one million acres and restored over 100,000 acres of wetlands and other coastal areas through its Coastal Program. The restoration of coral ecosystems improves the health of offshore areas.

We are literally building on those successes. I am pleased to announce that the Fish and Wildlife Service will soon open an office for its Coastal Program in Puerto Rico.

The new office will provide assistance to those fulfilling coral conservation efforts - including Local Action Strategies - in both the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

Federal efforts and local action both contribute to coral conservation. But I think we can take the best lesson from the reefs themselves.

Coral reefs are living symbols of a cooperative approach to conservation. Coral communities have countless creatures. They have different colors and different shapes; they have varied needs and varied diets.

Yet each species fills a niche. Each creature contributes something to the community. The creatures depend on one another; they grow together, they thrive together.

True, there are predators and parasites. But symbiotic relationships form the foundation of the reef. Over the years, those partners create incredible structures that flourish for generations.

In the same way, the conservation of coral reefs depends on all of us working together. (And don't start looking around for predators and parasites!) Each of us has a part in their protection and stewardship.

Together, we can build on the progress of protection that has been made in recent years. By planning - and working - together, we can ensure that coral reefs are living resources for generations to come.

Thank you.