and as a citizen of san francisco, we want to celebrate this season and to thank maya for the pleasure of working with her. thank you. [applause] >> it is a delight to introduce the director of the academy center for biodiversity research. [applause] >> thank you for the opportunity to share a few words about what it is like from the perspective of the academy of sciences. i had been one of many sources of information of the sciences is that has contributed to the extraordinary journey of knowledge about biodiversity. on behalf of my colleagues, i

can tell you that we are thrilled to have a portal to the earth on our east terrace. what is missing is a subject that lies at the very core of the research of the institution. we are about documented and describing the diversity of life and this portal allows you to experience that directly. our research centers about going to the far corners of the world which we have been doing for 150 years. we can offer a perspective on life which is our foundation and knowledge. in short, academy sciences have been for well over a century [inaudible] we will feel the pulse.

this transforms the idea of a dry list of many species that have gone extinct into an emotional experience of how small our fish has become, how few great migrations there are. how great is the darkness of our night sky. we emerge recognizing that we are on a trajectory and what is missing allows us to understand what the scope of that trajectory is. if we look just from what is around us, the scope does not look as deep. what we're looking at takes us back to how things used to be and we can recognize how deep that trajectory is. by reminding us of what it has lost, we can see much more clearly where we are headed. the academy welcomes you to enter the portal that maya has

created, to feel the connections that have been made right here between past and present and future. to ask if you are shifting the direction we're headed. thank you very much. [applause] >> it is my pleasure to introduce john fitzpatrick. >> thank you so much. i think you are one speaker away from the main attraction so i promise to be brief but i want to say first of all congratulations to the california academy of sciences, the board, and the staff.

congratulations to the city of san francisco and the arts commission. congratulations to maya for bringing all of those thoughts and images and connections that this project has gone through to fruition here in this megaphone. it just occurred to me sitting right over there that endangered species and extinct species and threatened ecosystems and migrations around the world that are in peril of being lost because of the human endeavor, they all had a megaphone at this point. congratulations to the city of chicago for having this. what occurred to me is that this is pointed straight at the north american continent. it is broadcasting to the citizens of the entire country and it is carried out all over the world.

what we have in store, we hope, the reversal that has begun over the past month. when the lab is a place that in many respects was predisposed to be adapted to the visit and first phone call. we have for almost 100 years used charismatic creatures not just to understand how nature works. after all, birds are extremely valuable tools. they are something much more, they communicate by sound, color. they are natures best spokespersons to us humans to think about how nature works and to think about our relationship with it.

this has been made part of our mission as well, not just to understand how species are but to use them to attract human beings to the idea that we have a relationship with this and we responsible. when we got the call from maya about doing the piece, it was a real treat. it was a no-brainer to say that we have to work with you. we have the world's largest repository of sound recordings. we had a very large growing library. it has been a terrific treat to work with maya and to see a small bit of how this creative

mind works. we have long thought to unite science with art. all of the creatures in movements and patterns and places are related. when she first visited to the loud and met with the people who talk about ideas, i can tell you by the end of that meeting, i went back to new york city and i had a committee of people going [inaudible] how can this come together? this is the beginning of a multi institution effort to get everyone in the world to be thinking about our

responsibilities and opportunities using the personal experience that one gets up close and personal with these beautiful creatures. what a treat. congratulations. >> thank you. with the light, pleasure and a sense of getting this -- with delight and pleasure, i introduce maya lynn. >> thank you. i am curious about this because i've heard that if we don't get to this quickly, there will be a disco beat. the academy has been so helpful.

to this san francisco parts commission, president johnson, the commissioners, thank you so much for your unwavering work. it is crazy that we ended up doing two projects. thank you, the face you have in this project, we could pull this off and this is pretty amazing. without your support and respect for the experimentation, this would not have happened. thank you. to the board and the scientists and staff, thank you for all the questions that you ask, all the answers that you sent me. i was too worried about the landscape and the fact that in my work -- i love science but i

think more like an artist. thank you for humouring me. you were great, you send me so much material. we went through it but maybe in a random way. i think that that is the duty between form a the relationship between science and art and i would probably say that you have been exposed more than you want to an artist process. -- i think that it is the duty between form and relationship. i have been very much informed by science. i think that we sent all of these over to the experts because there's nothing that i want to say here that is not grounded and very much in fact. in fact, sometimes we were stripping back some of the

attacks that were sent because they were too emotional. -- some of the texts that we were sent because they were too emotional. if i can just present the history and try to pull back and maybe change the tone. if i come off too strong, you might turn away and lose interest. this is a fine line that i have been playing. i want to thank scott and his team who has helped installing with the landscaped and with the tone and all of the crazy iterations that i try to explore out here. thank you for humouring me. in the next few years, if we explored many different iterations. we want you to look at it and

see an image. i know that you will really be taking care of it and now. last night, being out here, checking the humidity inside. we were a the high end today it is stabilized. i know that i leave the cone in incredibly good hands. thank you. we have done in two major art works for the price of one. of course, if you had not come through it would have been impossible for us to do this. >> johjohn fitzpatrick and the amazing staff at cornell. the amount of film that the ornithology lap donated. -- lab donated. i cannot thank you announced. i think that the fact that we are a very visual creature, you

will not see the animal first, you will hear it. you will read what is and then we will let you see it. we tend to be incredibly visual. maybe you will pay close attention to some of the sounds. sounds gives us a way of experiencing a place, not just this but places. i would also like to acknowledge incredibly generous support of national geographic archives, the bbc, and some may be in -- and some amazing independent filmmakers.

the american museum of natural history, wildlife conservation society, the world wildlife fund, the nature conservancy, freedom to roam. people that have donated film and media other than the core. that camel protection foundation, independent filmmakers. nick sherman, mark shelley, richard ellis, michael hughes,

elizabeth colbert, simon winchester. i have been calling a lot of people and asking a lot of questions. thank you to my studio assistance. in sound and media, we have carolyn chadwick, raymond chavez, alex chadwick. my media coordinator, luc d ubious. they've given us a much of their time and brilliance to work with us to help in the final character of the media and also

pentagram and management. i have to think what wall of foundries -- i have to thank walal walla foundries. what is missing? it begins with an accounting of what we are losing as we watch. in terms of species and habitat loss and i hope it provokes more a sense of wonder at what this planet is capable of and still could return to. this is a beginning. let's imagine this as a portal. we have begun to think of this as listening to the earth.

me will be able to connect to the president. we see all the things that are being accomplished. we can also see into the future and by 2000 12th, we will start with the clean paint for the future. -- and by 2012, we will start with the green plan for the future. we start with the past and a new idea of what a memorial can be. we launched here with what is missing. in two days, we are launching a traveling exhibit in beijing at

the beijing arts center. we were rebuilding those and they never translated -- we have translated into chinese more. many of them focused on animals that will go extinct if we can -- if people continue to purchase traditional chinese medicine that uses animals. we want to focus on the critical habitats that they need to survive and on the issues that you might not even realize that are disappearing. how can we protect it if we don't even see it as existing food for many of the songbirds we knew as children -- how can be protected if we don't see it as existing? many of the songbirds that we knew as children are disappearing. we will start this thing up in a

second. or will read to you the beginning intro, every 20 minutes the peace repeats with the same intro and the same conclusion with a different sound and a different background. it starts with what is missing. pieces that have gone extinct, species that will go extinct in our lifetime, the species that we will never know. on average, any 20 minutes, a species will disappear from the planet. in the time that it takes you to view this film, when species will vanish. what is missing, the ability of animals to migrate freely. the ability of animals to hear

and see under water. air, mountaintops, rivers flowing freely to the sea, the visibility of the stars at night. imagine in map that shows our needs with the needs of the planet. can we imagine the range in the light? can we imagine sharing the planet? thank you. [applause] but we have is a set intro, a sad conclusion, and then we will continue to build more scenes. we have about 50 made. -- what we have is a scenario, a conclusion. maybe you can come here and visit and you will hear

different things. there are many species that were common at one time that are no longer common. it will play in a random mode and then every 20 minutes, it has the same conclusion. it is not a theater, you have to walk up to it, you can sit inside but you have to take off your shoes. thank you. [applause] >> i am the director of community affairs. it is a great pleasure to introduce mr. john martin. >> thank you all for being here. [applause]

thank you for being here for the opening of the marine response emergency facility. i want to begin by introducing several dignitaries. the first is commission vice president mike hardeman. thank you. and commissioner steve nakaja. and i want to introduce our police department deputy chief at the airport, the guy in charge. david chen is here. from the adjacent coast guard facility, the commander. and we have staff members from our congressional delegation. we have staff members from senator feinstein's office, nancy pelosi's office, and others. thank you for joining us today. [applause]

throughout our history, safety and security has always been our priority. safety and security of our passengers, and safety of our employees. we are building on that commitment by commissioning what is the first fire rescue boat house facility on the west coast of the united states. more simply -- [airplane noise] we are at an airport. this is the first marine emergency response facility on the west coast. more simply, we can call it the first fireboat house at an airport. it is a core value for the airport team that we have worked together to provide an exceptional airport, that we are innovating, and that we work in

partnership. this is a partnership between the fire department and the airport. great project work by airport staff and the division of design and construction, who designed this building. the engineering staff support to the work. the architectural team and the design and construction staff -- i would like to recognize all the staff involved in the successful project. [applause] completed on budget, and one month ahead of schedule. we have an outstanding fire department staff at the airport. i believe we have one of the most recognized fire department staffs of any major airport in the u.s. the airport is committed to making sure staff has the latest and greatest technology and equipment to support their operation. the team is led by deputy chief mike morris, assisted by ed

dale. we thank them for their great work. [applause] it is my great pleasure to introduce major -- mayor ed lee to say a few words. >> thank you. i know that word leaked out i will be on an america's cup catamaran next week. i am sure this facility was identified as the very first fear reducer for me to be on the water. let me express my pleasure to be here with director john martin and his wonderful staff, with his airport commissioners that are here today, along with the chief and the chaplain, also here to give blessing to this wonderful facility. the chief, of course, is working closely with us. they have both upped their

willingness and collaboration to work together on this very important facility. this facility is something i point to as the new merf -- the marine emergency response facility. the airport can provide an extra level of safety for not only passengers, but for anybody that is in the bay near the airport. this facility, and equipment introduced today, will reduce the response time from what today is averaging around 25 minutes to get rescue equipment out into the boehner by --- bay nearby to something under five minutes. that is lifesaving. this is representative of every time i have come out to the airport. whether it is a new international terminal that,

under the leadership of john martin, was done, the new terminal two, the new traffic control towers about to be constructed, to a facility that is an extremely important collaboration, not only with the fire department, but also in strong collaboration with our cost card. this is essential -- with our coast guard. this is essential. this is why we have the infrastructure commitment that i have been talking about ever since i started working for the city. i have had the pleasure of working with john. his expertise and his team out here, retired as well as current, have made a strong commitment to make sure we have the modern facilities to take care of us. guess what? on the eve of america's cup, there is renewed use of our

waterways for recreation, but also increase ferry services going on because of all the alternative traffic use we have to have. it is part of our airport operation, because our airport is on the water. we are having a record number of airplanes landing. we must modernize our facilities for the future use. that is why i love the airport. it is always looking out for the next generation effort, making sure the infrastructure can respond to that. i also enjoy the fact that it is working with our fire department to really house the equipment we have to use. whether it is the mou spoke -- moose boat -- i love that name, because it was a nickname for me. from that to the ski jets,

asking whether there is room in the back for my golf clubs -- i need a faster way to get to monterey bay. all kidding aside, we have another facility that demonstrates our investment in infrastructure. it is on time. in fact, it is ahead of time and well within budget. the source of the money comes from the airlines, who are committed to making sure the have an operation that is always safe, always ready, with anything that could happen. of course, we have father green to make sure things do not happen. but it is a collaboration of people that are experts in emergency response. i want to say again we are ready for anything that occurs. but today, it is about thinking the designers that worked for