u.s. fish and wildlife was not just about bag limits and monitoring wildlife refuges for protecting animals. it had a mission of protecting farmers and people living in the wild. to coexist with nature in a way that was economical, utilitarian, and aesthetic. >> go back to the first time you thought about coming to this facility. how did it happen? >> i wanted to begin my book with the birth of the 51 federal bird reservations roosevelt created. the first one is called pelican island, florida. i went there. it's near vero beach. i went out on a boat. i went to an island which is a bird refuges. you cannot walk on it because you could step on a bird's nest. on the island there are many wiped off the coast, but on pelican island, pelican's would come. they would breed, and nest there. they would be in a cluster, but the military institute, women's fashion during the gilded age wanted to others for women's hats. they wanted and eager to whether or inherent 7. so people would come and gone them dow

and until this place was build, the u.s. fish & wildlife service did its training mostly at your typical airport hilton or airport holiday inn. when we started to design this place, we looked to build it as a place that people in the fish & wildlife service could call home and a place that would represent the importance, that service puts into investing into its employees. we have really talented, really dedicated folks that work here at the fish & wildlife service, but it's really critical that they continue to build their skills so they can do a better job to deal with the really complex conservation challenges that we face today and that we'll face in the feature. >> mark madison, how much does this cost to pay for? >> steve would have to answer that. >> this place costs about $150 million for everything that we see here. >> who in congress was responsible for it? >> senator robert c. byrd made sure that we had the funding necessary to build the place. but both the first bush administration and the clinton administration reque

>> it is the headquarters of u.s. fish and wildlife. conservation leaders from all over the world come here for seminars and to learn proper techniques. this is walking past pictures of caribou in alaska. roosevelt was very interested in all nature, including terrible. what interests me in writing my book is roosevelt is the father of the u.s. fish and wildlife. the crater of the sierra club. roosevelt realized the federal government had the responsibility to save the species of birds and animals, plants and trees, and the president has an obligation to make sure we criticiz protect nl wonders like the grand canyon or mount olympus or the petrified forests for future generations. at this training center he turned this into a -- we turned this into museum of theater roosevelt. >> when did you become interested in him? >> i've loved him since childhood. i read edmund morris's biography and david mccullough's. in 1992 i had a program called "the magic bus. i went to north dakota in the badlands, the western edge. that is where he spent his

it's the head qurter for u.s. fish and wild life. here on the side, all the pictures of caraboo in alaska. what interests me is writing the book like willederness warrior is roosevelt is really the father of u.s. fish and wild life. it's roosevelt that realized that the federal government has an obligation to save speesies, birds, animals, plants and trees. the president has an obligation to make sure we put aside those >> i was really interested in him. i had a program called magic bus. i brought kids across the country. he wrote this incredible book. one i particularly like called the willederness hunter. >> i started realizing that from the civil war and world war one, roosevelt use the white house to promote conservation and nature the support to save birds. the eventual creation of fish and wild life, it's changed america. this summer, if anybody opens the atlas, you see all that green. you are look at roosevelt monday ue meants. he put aside 240 acres of wild america. now as people are talking about environmental ix and green m

reservations. 51 federal bird reservations that roosevelt created are now the heart and soul of u.s. fish and wild life. all of the people watching this have heard of fish and wild life but they don't know this began with this 51 bird reservations of roosevelt trying to save egrets and pelicans and others on both coasts. >> before we go any farther, explain where this conservation training center is located. >> we are in shepherdstown, west virginia, not too far from washington, d.c. it's a beautiful campus in west virginia. here it's the archive where did i research. they have the papers, not just of early conservationists but people like carson in the 1960's who worked for fish and wild life. for me, this place is an archival treasure trove. in addition, i went to the places roosevelt saved so i would go to various bird places that he actually saved and they have local archives, one in michigan or one in arizona. i even went to puerto rico recently to go to see the national forest which he saved for the national forest service, which is our only rainforest in our entire protection syste

u.s. to all know who the fish & wildlife service is. we have really dedicated folks that do great work for critters and for the american people and a lot of people don't even know we exist. >> how many different places are there around the united states that come under this umbrella? >> we have about 800 field stations, and we manage 15150 million acres. >> mark madison, what would you wish for? >> two things. i wish everybody would think about the environment when they study history because it transforms things, from the dust bole to d.d.t. i wish everyone would go out and enjoy the refuge. people enjoying themselves in nature in place like this. that's really where our future lay. >> gentleman, thank you. >> thank you. >> next week on "q&a," author walter kirn. his book is a mem water of his time at princeton in the 1980's. "q&a," sunday at 8:00 p.m. eastern here on c-span. [captions copyright national cable satellite corp. 2009] [captioning performed by national captioning institute] >> coming up next, british prime minister gordon b

u.s. fish and wildlife right here. in that little matt. that is what made roosevelt started it all with the wildlife protection. >> has that ever been seen outside of your? >> you would have to ask mark. i don't know. it is probably a minor when something with the pelican island site. c-span should go to pelaton island some time. u.s. fish and wildlife has built an incredible boardwalk down there with each refuge set up like a plant. it goes out with an incredible view. if you do in a family vacation over the summer in florida, take the time to go to pelaton island to the center there. because it's really worth it for kids. you're guaranteed to see a piece of wild florida. >> it's close to vero beach. i would stay in vero beach which is in between st. augustine and palm beach on the atlantic coast. also, the darling national wildlife refuge, he was a cartoonist, but the national wildlife refuge is spectacular. roosevelt created the national forest in florida that links the atlantic to the gulf.

one of the unique things with u.s. fish and wildlife is when i would visit places they were so excited i was interested in the history of that national wildlife refuge that they would take me to see things. people took me to watch sea turtles. i went at night with the great turtle experts to watch the turtles lay eggs on the beach. after they lay eggs then they moved into the ocean. it felt like the birth of mankind. it was like biblical to watch these turtles. when i would go there i was not just looking at documents. i was trying to experience some of the wildlife edrik directly or indirectly that roosevelt said. the manatee, he would not in florida if roosevelt had not created as a refuge. but when did you do the gerald ford book? >> i did that for the arthur/centre jr sign me up for that series. that came out about that time. -- arthur schlesinger signed me up for that series. gerald ford is a small but. >> that theories, all of them were about 200 pages. >> yes. this book was for me, the book i would live and die by. i

i visited with a guy that works for u.s. fish and wild life that took me on the boat. one of the neat things with u.s. efficient and wildlife, when i visit places, they were so excited that i was interested in that national wildlife refuge, they would take me to say -- i have people take me to watch sea turtles on the beach. i went at night with the great turtle expert and watch the turtles lay eggs on the beach. after they lay their eggs they move into the ocean. it felt like the birth of mankind. it was like biblical to watch these turtles interact. when i go there, i wasn't just looking at documents. i was trying to experience some of the wildlife that directly, or indirectly that roosevelt saved. there wouldn't be manhattanty if he didn't create the refuge. >> when did you the gerald ford book? >> i did it for a series that came out around that time. when you write a lot like i do, there are big books and small books. there is a book like that, gerald ford is a very small book mainly for the general reared. >> all that series was about 200 pages. >> yeah. this book

u.s. to all know who the fish and wildlife service is. we have dedicated form -folks that do great work and a lot of people don't know that we exist. >> how many people in the united states come under this umbrella? >> we have 800 centers and manage thousands of acres. >> mark, what would you wish? >> i wish that everyone would manage the environment, and enjoy the environment. at a park and refuge. that's where we get our constituency, that's where our future lies. >> gentlemen, thank you. >> thank you. >> next week on "q & a," author, walter kirn, is a memoir of his time in princeton university in the 1980's. "q & a" next sunday at 8 p.m. eastern, here on c-span. coming up, british prime minister, gordon brown, speaks of the fate of iraq. later a look at highlights of newly elected speaker of the house of commons and lords. tomorrow on "washington journal" a political roundtable of faiz shakir. >> "washington journal" is live at 7 a.m. eastern, here on c-span. >> how is c-span funded? >> publicly funded. >> donations maybe, i have no id