Remarks Prepared For Delivery By The Honorable Gale Norton

Secretary of the Interior

September 4, 2002

Awards Convocation

Thank you and good afternoon.

This moment of silence reminds me that we are a week away from the remembrance of 9/11. There is a somberness that seems to be drawing about us, a reserve, an attitude of contemplation as we approach the memory of what happened in New York, at the Pentagon and in a field in Pennsylvania. No American was untouched by the event. For most-it is still so fresh in their memory-it doesn't seem like it has been a year.

It is painful to recall those moments. It changed our lives, our emotions and our jobs. We have been asked to look at what we do at Interior in new ways. The element of homeland security has become a part of what we do, what we think and what we plan.

The aftermath of 9/11 leaves us with two lessons. The first is that we are vulnerable. We must protect our historical icons and our infrastructure, as well as our visitors. The second is that we are strong, capable and resilient. The same indefinable quality that leads employees to succeed in the war against terrorism lets them go beyond the expected to perform the extraordinary in their jobs.

Because each day you do the extraordinary, we are at this ceremony of appreciation. It is my honor to be a part of it and to be in such stellar company. Awarding honors to the deserving is a great perk of my job. Today we honor those who have shown excellence and valor and we mark their achievements at the Department of the Interior.

The work we do means different things to different people. It is a paycheck, a calling, a necessity, a lifetime endeavor. Sometimes we convince ourselves that our current job is just a station on the way to what we really want to be when we grow up.

However, in the midst of pressure to finish a job, achieve a goal, follow an order or realize an ambition, there are those among us who find something more. They add a spark of genius to the fuel of everyday activities. They take the unanticipated step, they make work more productive or they find a new way of doing things.

These are the people who carry an extra burden so work is lighter for others. They identify needs and accomplish a task before it is asked- and they know that goals are set to be surpassed.

Some step forward into the maelstrom of firefighting or law enforcement when others might retreat.

It is that undefinable spirit we honor today. It is what sets one person apart and calls them leader, or hero, or innovator, or just the go-to guy. It is what makes the difference at the Department of the Interior.

This department is so diverse that I doubt many people know of all the work that we do. We have people who help fly ultra-light planes to lead whooping cranes to sunny Florida.

We monitor earthquakes and volcanos, mines and wells. There are those employees who study a form of biological warfare against invasive species.

National Park Service rangers, in SCUBA gear and wet suits, interpret the marine world of the Channel Islands off California to a TV audience from 30 feet below the surface.

A Bureau of Reclamation technician makes his way across the face of a sheer rock wall, 500 feet above a western river, to place a laser devise that will help to monitor the alignment of the dam.

A Minerals Management Service inspector lands on an offshore platform in the Gulf of Mexico by helicopter to inspect the rig and how safely the company is carrying out its operations.

A BLM "Horse Whisperer" gently calms a recently captured mustang, working the spirited animal into a manageable mount that can be adopted.

A USGS biologist piliots his helicopter above an Arctic wilderness to test forward-looking infrared imaging systems that can help to count polar bears in their winter dens.

A BIA law enforcement officer leads a rescue party across a rugged Southwestern desert in search of a family that became lost on an overnight camping trip.

We provide energy to run the country-about 1/3 of our domestic energy production comes from public lands. And we provide the water that allows the arid West to bloom. In this drought year, the Bureau of Reclamation is the salvation for many.

I have been talking about jobs at Interior, but our mission would be almost impossible without the legion of volunteers who add their expertise and their time to our ranks.

It is the volunteer who often takes up the slack, or puts in the extra hours to make a project successful. We have more than 200,000 volunteers on thousands of projects across this land. Without their help we could not accomplish restorations, conservation, new habitats or any of the other important goals of the department. Our appreciation is profound and heartfelt.

I am proud to be a part of this diverse workplace, and proud of the work you all do to carry out our mission of conservation. We hand out awards today to a select few, but my appreciation goes beyond this ceremony to all employees of the Department.

And so we take time out today to say thank you. Two simple words that are not heard often enough in the workplace or outside of it. The two words carry our gratitude, appreciation and praise for jobs well done. Thank you all.

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