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administration has stood up to protect its waters. That's why President Kennedy <br /> directed a portion of the revenues from oil and gas production to help communities build <br /> trails and ball fields -- and why my administration has fought to protect the Land and <br /> Water Conservation Fund. (Applause.) <br /> That's why the hunters and anglers in this country have always been willing to pay a few <br /> extra bucks for a fishing license or a duck stamp that helps protect streams and habitats <br /> -- because they want to make sure that their grandkids can enjoy these same pastimes. <br /> That's why my administration is expanding access to public lands so that more <br /> Americans can cast a rod or teach their children how to hunt. <br /> We have to keep investing in the technology and manufacturing that helps us lead the <br /> world, but we've also got to protect the places that help define who we are, that help <br /> shape our character and our soul as a nation. Places that help attract visitors and create <br /> jobs, but that also give something to our kids that is irreplaceable. <br /> And all of us have a role to play. One of the first bills I signed after taking office was the <br /> Public Lands bill that protected more than a thousand miles of rivers and established <br /> new national parks and trails. (Applause.) And two years ago, thanks to some great <br /> work by my Cabinet, and Ken Salazar especially, I kicked off the America's Great <br /> Outdoors initiative to support conservation projects happening in all 50 states, including <br /> Fort Monroe in Virginia, which just became America's 396th national park. (Applause.) <br /> Right now, we're restoring the River of Grass in the Everglades, providing clean water <br /> to millions of residents -- (applause) -- creating thousands of jobs -- construction jobs -- <br /> in southern Florida. <br /> We need to keep moving forward on projects like these. And I know we've got ranchers <br /> and farmers and landowners here today who represent places like the Crown of the <br /> Continent in Montana, the Dakota Grasslands, and everywhere in between. We need to <br /> keep working to protect these incredible landscapes that all of you know so well. <br /> The bottom line is this: There will always be people in this country who say we've got to <br /> choose between clean air and clean water and a growing economy, between doing right <br /> by our environment and putting people back to work. And I'm here to tell you that is a <br /> false choice. (Applause.) That is a false choice. (Applause.) With smart, sustainable <br /> policies, we can grow our economy today and protect our environment for ourselves <br /> and our children. <br /> We know it's possible. And we know it because of what's been happening in <br /> communities like yours, where compromise isn't a dirty word, where folks can recognize <br /> a good idea no matter where it comes from. <br /> A while back, I heard a story about the Rogue River in Oregon. Every year, the Rogue <br /> is filled with salmon swimming upstream to spawn. But because factories were allowed <br /> to -- allowing warm water to run back into the river, the temperature was becoming too <br />