>> it is a beautiful scupltural objective made with bronze and lined with red wood from water tanks in clear lake. that is the scupltural form that gives expression to maya's project. if you think about a cone or a bull horn, they are used to get the attention of the crowd, often to communicate an important message. this project has a very important message and it is about our earth and what we are losing and what we are missing and what we don't even know is gone. >> so, what is missing is starting with an idea of loss, but in a funny way the shape of this cone is, whether you want to call it like the r.c.a. victor dog, it is listen to the earth and what if we could create a portal that could look at the past, the present and the future? >> you can change what is then

missing by changing the software, by changing what is projected and missing. so, missing isn't a static installation. it is an installation that is going to grow and change over time. and she has worked to bring all of this information together from laboratory after laboratory including, fortunately, our great fwroup of researche e-- g researchers at the california academy. >> this couldn't have been more site specific to this place and we think just visually in terms of its scupltural form it really holds its own against the architectural largest and grandeur of the building. it is an unusual compelling object. we think it will draw people out on the terrace, they will see the big cone and say what is that. then as they approach the cone tell hear these very unusual sounds that were obtained from the cornell orinthology lab.

>> we have the largest recording of birds, mammals, frogs and insects and a huge library of videos. so this is an absolutely perfect opportunity for us to team up with a world renown, very creative inspirational artist and put the sounds and sights of the animals that we study into a brand-new context, a context that really allows people to appreciate an esthetic way of the idea that we might live in the world without these sounds or sites. >> in the scientific realm it is shifting baselines. we get used to less and less, diminished expectations of what it was. >> when i came along lobsters six feet long and oysters 12 inches within they days all the oyster beds in new york, manhattan, the harbor would clean the water. so, just getting people to wake up to what was just literally

there 200 years ago, 150 years ago. you see the object and say what is that. you come out and hear these intriguing sounds, sounds like i have never heard in my life. and then you step closer and you almost have a very intimate experience. >> we could link to different institutions around the globe, maybe one per continent, maybe two or three in this country, then once they are all networked, they begin to communicate with one another and share information. in 2010 the website will launch, but it will be what you would call an informational website and then we are going to try to, by 2011, invite people to add a memory. so in a funny way the member rely grows and there is something organic about how this memorial begins to have legs so to speak. so we don't know quite where it will go but i promise to keep on

it 10 years. my goal is to raise awareness and then either protect forests from being cut down or reforest in ways that promote biodiversity. >> biodiverse city often argued to be important for the world's human populations because all of the medicinal plants and uses that we can put to it and fiber that it gives us and food that it gives us. while these are vital and important and worth literally hundreds of billions of dollars, the part that we also have to be able to communicate is the more spiritual sense of how important it is that we get to live side by side with all of these forms that have three billion years of history behind them and how tragic it would be not commercially and not in a utilitarian way but an emotio l emotional, psychological, spiritual way if we watch them one by one disappear.

>> this is sort of a merger between art and science and advocacy in a funny way getting people to wake unand realize what is going on -- wake up and realize what is going on. so it is a memborial trying to get us to interpret history and look to the past. they have always been about lacking at the past so we proceed forward and maybe don't commit the same mistakes. 2:00 . >> (clapping.) you know, we're surrounding the in this area by a horse shoe drive is the charring allocate and george schultz horse shoe drive we have this lady that's

the director of protocol for the statistical choorlt i want to recognize you thank you so much (clapping.) and i haven't seen him but steven made this project possible is mr. beckal here a big had an for steven he made this thing go. we have mayor edwin lee we're lucky to have him. we have members of the board of supervisors. i've seen one at least do we have any members. thank you all so much. oh, i see scott wiener it's good to have you here and city attorney herrera.

the city administer naomi kelly (clapping) and the department of public works mohammed (clapping.) and the south san francisco arts commission director tom. thank you tom for being here (clapping.) and we're going to ask someone to speak in a minute our senior veteran former secretary of state george b schooulz will you make many racks this morning for us? >> this is a great occasion. and mike has identified people as he wanted to honor and he

give recognition to but let's face it this project got off the dpround when you put a marine general in charge let's hear it for mike (clapping.) that is a memoriam but it's as much about the future as about the pa past. yes memorial has the ring looking back and paying honor to our veterans and we need to do that and we need to give honor to anybody who has served but recognizing people who have been in combat and wounded we want to pay attention to the mothers and

fathers and brothers and sisters to those who have fallen and let them know as a pledge we're with them. one of the causes or the events that i'm particularly interested in mr. and mrs. an organization that raises money for the sole purpose of helping the children of police officers and marines who have fall in the line of duty but they deserve special remembrance and we need to take care of the the children and recognize veterans tangiblely. in my case i was able to complete my education on the gi bill. the first house i bought he 83

at that mortgage i was helped to we need to impress ourselves in tangible ways like that. i've said this is as much about the future as the past. because it's a statement that those who serve we honor as special people. and we recognize that sometimes, people say it's a great sacrifice that's not it all. it's an opportunity and privilege to serve and at the same time sometimes, people get hurt balanced and we need to recognize that and support them wholeheartedly. sometimes, i think as we support particularly w0u7b9d conveniences who are fighting

and come back we have to remember ourselves not just it's a great chapter but recognize those are people who have developed special leadership capacities they've gone through the affair and know how to handle stress their potential leaders. we need to recognize that and reach out to them in that sense. it's about the future has much as the past it's saying to future generations that this memorial stands for the fact we honor our conveniences we honor those who served in combat and those who have been injured and fallen not to forget them and their children. it's a profoundly megs -

message. so i want to ask you will have you to stand up and join me in a good strong salute to our veterans >> thank you (clapping.) i've noticed we had another individual join us here in the audience and if i could ask former former mayor willie brown junior. >> (clapping) >> our next speaker in that morning is our current mayor.

mayor edwin lee as i said i feel so proud to have you as our mayor so mayor will you come up and sigh is a few words (clapping.) thank you general and let me convicting add my thanks to you. good morning, everyone this is a great occasion. i'm glad that former former mayor willie brown joined us i can formerly congratulate him on it's 20th birthday yesterday (clapping) and let me asked if i may to i think the wonderful comments that secretary shuflz is given i want to recognize we're joined by president chiu a norm yee.

i am also grateful to the veterans not only of the city but across the country and that i do think people a lot to what san francisco is doing on everything from technology to health care to housing. but i also want to signal that we're a city that remembers our veterans as well so as long as i'm mayor, i want to make sure we introduce and welcome the coast guard here as well we're working together to make sure that our returning veterans are also taken care of that as we begin the groundbreaking for the memorial in the 80 years because the memorial committee that has been garnishes with their time

and energy we want to thank them 82 years ago today, we should have had this designed appropriate but several others who have mentioned to me while it took us 82 years we have the benefit of modern indulge and perhaps technology to accompany us with the design so the committee is anxious to get done and i hopewell i will make sure that public our kraushths get done by this october to have triple celebration because that's is an honor during the fleet week we pissed that last year and we're anxious to have a glorious fleet week this year

and have a great edition to have this done. let's make sure we have it done our city family but also to let you know in addition to honoring our past veterans we're making efforts to honor the returning veterans that's important as well. i'll confidentially to you a very good toward we've reduced the housing needs of many of our veterans by thirty percent. that's not enough we need to take care of are one hundred percent of our returning veterans to make sure they have housing and services as they come back. if we can reduce by thirty percent those needs in the last couple of years uncertain certainly with the hope of looird pelosi and feinstein i'm

going to contempt x condominium we can get them jobs in the that economy and get them skill sets that in san francisco we're a welcoming city to our veterans we'll work very hard to get that done. i want you to know i'll be excited to be here with you and the war committee to make sure we've done everything to get this project done in honor of our veterans. congratulations and happy birthday to former mayor willie brown and our war memorial committee. i commit to work hard with you and the rest of the city joining in this effort. thank you and congratulations >> thank you, mayor thank you

mayor ed lee. nova is going to recite a poem. it's titled the young dead soldiers. this particular poem will be inskrind in stone in the san francisco veterans memorial when it's completed. arching balanced wrote this poem in the middle of the last century when he was a larger than four is larger than congress. as a young man he severed in embattle in world war i and witnessed suffering and death. air force world war ii when the congress held a service for all the staff members who died in the war he contributed this poem tonl not only to commemorate the

dead by those who survive bear a special responsibilities to make the deaths of those soldiers meaningful so as the poem is being resided live up to that responsibility of making the deaths of our american soldiers and mooerpz and coast guards make it meaningful. noah. >> young dead soldiers do not speak. nevertheless, they are heard in

still houses. who has not heard them. they have a silence this speaks to them at night and the clock counts. they say we were young, we have died remind us. they say we have done what we could but until it is finished it is not done. they say our deaths are not ours they are yourselves they will mean what you make them. they say whether our lives and our deaths were for nothing we can't say. it is you who must say this.

we leave i our deaths give them their meaning. we were young they say we have died remind us. (clapping.) >> thank you noah. we'll new dot actual groundbreaking before we do i'd like to thrill about the soil in the outlook gone it contains so i would say from american from battlefields where americans have shed blood from around the world so we're going to merely turn the soil over we are going to take the soil from the

octagon into the construction process and it will be included in the actual veterans memorial when it's completed. i want to have the folks who are going to join me for the groundbreaking come in front of the color graduate and facing this way secreting shurlts, mayor ed lee, former mayor willie brown. city administer naomi kelly and wishes to speak who co-chaired the san francisco veteran memorial committee. there's a shovel for each of us and we're going to do this experiencing in a military manner and i'll give the command shovels up and on the count of 3 put our shovel in the ground. and then everybody can clap

>> shovels up. all 3. 13 - 1, 2, 3, (clapping) we're going to leave the shovels in there.

all right. thank you all so many. we're going to ask you to go back to our seats, please. >> congratulations. >> thank you. >> hey folks we have a special take away for our citizen veteran square feet shurlz he gets a special shovel it's a little small one and i'm going to ask someone who's worked with us on the committee if you jenny lopez will this over and present it to secretary schuflz.

>> (clapping). >> our closing speaker is no one other than the former mayor willie brown junior please say a few remarks, please (clapping.) thank you, sir. general thank you for your kind words and secretary of state and mayor ed lee and the assembled dignitaries to my right on on behalf of the steering committee of this memorial we're just delighted that so many of you participated in the

groundbreaking ceremony. san francisco is notorious notorious for taking a long time to do anything. i'm certain that the person in 1932 that made this commitment actually assumed he or she was going to be here to shovel the sand and break the ground but that was 1932 we're not in 2014 and some successors people are here for that purpose and we're delighted, however, i walked in you veterans i ran into a veteran buddha of mine and george a man who gave to his country in had dramatic way as a member of the marine core and it was awarded with the position of a congressman when they were not

electing republicans congressman pete celebrated his commitment to everything having to do with veterans. general you mentioned that the citywide which is there should be looked at you're absolutely correct but think as mayor ed lee said in about six or seven months you're going to be able to come back and see the memorial promised in 1932 and finally delivered in this administration and there are 3 members singularly responsible. about 4 years ago the general the secretary and max started talking about producing for the veterans and they have preceded to get everyone involved so i'm

proud mayor ed lee of san francisco's effort and i'm proud of those 4 warriors that have done what needs to be done and choorlt told if he wanted to do something wonderful you've got to be dramatic and you've like that and i'm going to show you that i don't need that damn cane (laughter) (clapping) >> thank you. (inaudible) >> and you've got a great future out there (clapping.) we've guaranteed it. >> happy birthday to former mayor willie brown. >> happy birthday to you.

happy birthday to you. happy birthday dear willie. happy birthday to number 80 if you can believe that (clapping.) okay folks that's the end of the ceremony i wonder if i can get the shovelers back here we'll get one more picture >> thank you for coming and stand but for the