[applause] also, to weta, production partners for 25 years and my dear friend, sharon rockefeller. paul lot at pbs has been a great pillar of support for the projects over the last several years we have attempted to do and i don't á'2e@rr for this production but for many others. this represents an extraordinary collaboration between pbs, the prague -- the public broadcasting service, and the national park service. i would like to think this national representatives of the park service's, -- i would like to think these national representatives of the park service's here today. all of the extraordinary public service, the rangers who helped us from the gates of the arctic in northern alaska to the dry tortugas off the florida keys, from hawaii volcanoes, to acadia in maine. they have been tremendous servants and i would like to thank them. we have been celebrating over the last several days our public lands. there has been an enormous outpouring of support, all across the country in more than 200 of the 391 sites of the national park service. citizens have been turning out and by the

sharon rockefeller, the ceo of weta. the producer and host of "white house chronicles" on pbs. the bureau chief of hearst newspapers and dave cook of the "christian science monitor." [applause] for decades, ken burns has been a leading documentary film maker who combines lyric pros and a thorough understanding of american history in works that have informed and enlightened public television audiences. he has appeared at the national press club numerous times. he first spoke here in 1990 after his series, "the civil war" which the "washington post" called [unintelligible] his latest project is a 12 part documentary called "the national parks: america's best idea." it began airing last night, locally on weta, his partner in the project. combine to storytelling abilities with photographs of the parks brought into everyone's home in high- definition television. the series is not simply about beauty -- is the story of an american idea, that scenic lands should be set aside and protected, not for royalty and the wealthy, but for the enjoyment of all citizens. it is the story of the v

sharon rockefeller, the ceo of weta. the producer and host of "white house chronicles" on pbs. the bureau chief of hearst newspapers and dave cook of the "christian science monitor." [applause] for decades, ken burns has been a leading documentary film maker who combines lyric pros and a thorough understanding of american history in works that have informed and enlightened public television audiences. he has appeared at the national press club numerous times. he first spoke here in 1990 after his series, "the civil war" which the "washington post" called [unintelligible] his latest project is a 12 part documentary called "the national parks: america's best idea." it began airing last night, locally on weta, his partner in the project. combine to storytelling abilities with photographs of the parks brought into everyone's home in high- definition television. the series is not simply about beauty -- is the story of an american idea, that scenic lands should be set aside and protected, not for royalty and the wealthy, but for the enjoyment of all citizens. it is the story of the v