0:00:00.762,0:00:04.301
So, of all my childhood memories,

0:00:04.325,0:00:07.317
there is one that stands above the rest.

0:00:07.698,0:00:10.958
And that is the time that my brave parents

0:00:10.982,0:00:13.799
rented an RV, packed it[br]with me and my brothers,

0:00:13.823,0:00:16.172
and drove west[br]from our house in Minneapolis,

0:00:16.196,0:00:18.463
out to Yellowstone National Park.

0:00:19.188,0:00:22.737
We saw all the sights, like the geysers,[br]we stopped at the Badlands,

0:00:22.761,0:00:27.347
but more than any of the places,[br]I remember this as an adventure.

0:00:27.371,0:00:31.157
This was my introduction to the Wild West.

0:00:31.974,0:00:34.617
But it wasn't until I got older

0:00:34.641,0:00:38.513
and I learned more[br]about the National Park System

0:00:38.537,0:00:41.244
that I realized just how lucky I was.

0:00:41.268,0:00:43.054
One, to have that experience,

0:00:43.078,0:00:45.754
but also that, hundreds of years ago,

0:00:45.778,0:00:51.656
people had the foresight[br]to set aside the very best places,

0:00:51.680,0:00:56.577
the very best ecosystems[br]in the country, for everyone.

0:00:57.125,0:00:58.688
And for future generations.

0:00:59.046,0:01:05.260
And to really appreciate[br]just how prescient that idea was,

0:01:05.284,0:01:06.458
you have to go back

0:01:06.482,0:01:09.648
and you have to look at the history[br]of the National Parks Service.

0:01:09.672,0:01:14.219
So, a lot of people know, the first[br]national park was Yellowstone, in 1872.

0:01:14.641,0:01:17.783
A lot of people think of John Muir,[br]the poet, naturalist,

0:01:17.807,0:01:19.342
who was such a visionary

0:01:19.366,0:01:22.783
in getting people inspired[br]by the idea of conservation --

0:01:22.807,0:01:26.522
that we need to take[br]the best places and protect them.

0:01:26.546,0:01:29.291
He had an audience in very high places --

0:01:29.315,0:01:32.459
there's a great story[br]of Teddy Roosevelt and John Muir

0:01:32.483,0:01:35.737
going hiking, in Yosemite,[br]during his presidency,

0:01:35.761,0:01:39.014
four days, completely off the grid,[br]just the two of them.

0:01:39.038,0:01:41.111
Can you imagine a president

0:01:41.135,0:01:43.894
actually just going completely[br]off the grid for four days?

0:01:44.284,0:01:45.609
(Laughter)

0:01:45.633,0:01:46.791
No tweeting.

0:01:46.815,0:01:50.609
(Laughter) (Applause)

0:01:50.633,0:01:51.881
Like that idea.

0:01:51.905,0:01:52.905
(Applause)

0:01:54.625,0:02:00.545
But he had a great impact[br]on Theodore Roosevelt.

0:02:00.569,0:02:03.213
And he created dozens of national parks,

0:02:03.237,0:02:07.164
hundreds of thousands of square acres[br]of national wildlife refuges.

0:02:07.188,0:02:11.839
It was an important administration,[br]but it wasn't a done deal.

0:02:11.863,0:02:17.561
Even less than 10 years[br]after he created all of those new places,

0:02:17.585,0:02:20.220
the future of those places[br]was very much in doubt.

0:02:20.847,0:02:23.994
And it wasn't until this guy,[br]Stephen Mather,

0:02:24.018,0:02:25.633
a businessman from Chicago,

0:02:25.657,0:02:28.879
wrote an angry letter[br]to the Department of the Interior, saying,

0:02:28.903,0:02:33.227
"You guys aren't doing a good enough job[br]protecting and preserving these places."

0:02:33.736,0:02:35.363
Then, something was done about it.

0:02:35.387,0:02:37.553
The Department of the Interior[br]wrote him back.

0:02:37.577,0:02:40.014
"Mr. Mather, if you care[br]so much about this,

0:02:40.038,0:02:42.982
why don't you come to Washington[br]and do it yourself?"

0:02:43.006,0:02:44.117
(Laughter)

0:02:44.141,0:02:45.918
And he did.

0:02:45.942,0:02:48.204
He took a job at the Department[br]of the Interior,

0:02:48.228,0:02:51.784
but more importantly,[br]he started a campaign.

0:02:52.304,0:02:57.082
He actually had a meeting[br]two blocks from here, in 1914,

0:02:57.106,0:02:58.439
in California Hall,

0:02:58.463,0:03:01.845
and he brought together the park[br]superintendents and a few other people

0:03:01.869,0:03:04.669
who cared about this idea of conservation.

0:03:05.601,0:03:09.537
And they put together a plan,[br]they hatched a campaign

0:03:09.561,0:03:14.006
that eventually led to the[br]National Park Service in 1916.

0:03:14.744,0:03:16.078
And that's really important.

0:03:16.102,0:03:20.103
Because it went from an idea[br]that we should protect these places

0:03:20.127,0:03:21.619
to an actual plan,

0:03:21.643,0:03:25.683
a way for people to enlist[br]and carry that idea forward

0:03:25.707,0:03:26.981
for future generations,

0:03:27.005,0:03:31.045
so little kids like me can go[br]and have these amazing experiences.

0:03:31.514,0:03:34.914
That is the history[br]of the National Parks on land.

0:03:35.490,0:03:38.236
The ocean, what I want[br]to talk to you about today,

0:03:38.260,0:03:40.037
is a completely different story.

0:03:40.061,0:03:43.779
And we are almost precisely[br]100 years behind.

0:03:44.323,0:03:47.076
So, the first marine[br]sanctuary was in 1972,

0:03:47.100,0:03:50.147
after the oil spill in Santa Barbara,

0:03:50.171,0:03:52.878
people got interested[br]in taking that concept

0:03:52.902,0:03:56.156
and applying it[br]to underwater environments.

0:03:56.180,0:03:59.266
We've had our own John Muir,[br]who's Dr. Sylvia Earle,

0:03:59.290,0:04:01.189
who's been a tireless advocate

0:04:01.213,0:04:04.529
for creating these marine[br]protected areas around the world.

0:04:04.553,0:04:07.752
So, I know there's a lot[br]of bad news about the ocean,

0:04:07.776,0:04:10.892
there's plastic pollution,[br]coral bleaching, over-fishing --

0:04:10.916,0:04:13.821
it's hard to take it all in sometimes.

0:04:13.845,0:04:19.276
But this idea of setting aside[br]places for nature is working.

0:04:19.300,0:04:22.450
Science tells us that if you[br]set these places aside,

0:04:22.474,0:04:25.617
nature will come back[br]and we can keep the oceans healthy.

0:04:25.641,0:04:27.743
So we know this idea works.

0:04:28.141,0:04:32.093
And Dr. Sylvia Earl[br]has been influential, like John Muir,

0:04:32.117,0:04:33.291
with administrations --

0:04:33.315,0:04:37.172
George W. Bush and Obama[br]were both fantastic ocean presidents,

0:04:37.196,0:04:40.579
creating marine protected areas[br]all around the country.

0:04:41.173,0:04:44.442
This is not a conservative idea[br]or a liberal idea,

0:04:44.466,0:04:46.244
it's not even an American idea,

0:04:46.268,0:04:48.204
it's just a good idea.

0:04:48.673,0:04:49.926
(Laughter)

0:04:49.950,0:04:51.561
(Applause)

0:04:51.585,0:04:52.766
But --

0:04:52.790,0:04:54.053
(Applause)

0:04:54.077,0:04:56.401
Here we are, a few years later.

0:04:56.751,0:05:01.830
And now the administration is proposing[br]to roll back a lot of the progress

0:05:01.854,0:05:03.780
we've made in the past 20 years.

0:05:04.449,0:05:07.568
So, so, don't mourn -- organize.

0:05:08.809,0:05:11.722
We need to do what[br]Stephen Mather did 100 years ago.

0:05:11.746,0:05:16.049
We need to start a campaign[br]to get people engaged with this idea.

0:05:16.365,0:05:20.745
And I think we need a league[br]of citizen scientists for the ocean.

0:05:21.486,0:05:25.351
And I've seen glimpses of this future[br]and I know that it's possible.

0:05:25.375,0:05:28.880
My friend Erik and I started building[br]underwater robots,

0:05:28.904,0:05:32.838
these little swimming cameras[br]with lights that you can see underwater.

0:05:32.862,0:05:35.544
We started building these[br]in his garage, five years ago,

0:05:35.568,0:05:36.908
and we've watched that grow

0:05:36.932,0:05:40.283
into this community of thousands[br]of people around the world,

0:05:40.307,0:05:43.220
who believe that everybody[br]should have access to these places.

0:05:43.244,0:05:45.720
We all deserve the tools[br]to go and explore.

0:05:46.076,0:05:47.668
There's stories like Laura James,

0:05:47.692,0:05:51.188
who used her robot to find out that[br]sea stars in her area were dying.

0:05:51.212,0:05:54.299
And she started this whole[br]citizen science campaign,

0:05:54.323,0:05:57.466
collected data and drove awareness[br]for sea-star wasting syndrome,

0:05:57.490,0:06:00.514
to try and figure out[br]what was happening there.

0:06:00.538,0:06:02.673
There are stories of fishermen in Mexico,

0:06:02.697,0:06:05.418
who used the robot to create[br]marine protected areas

0:06:05.442,0:06:10.283
where Nassau grouper were spawning,[br]to protect the future of this species.

0:06:10.307,0:06:11.831
It's really amazing stuff.

0:06:11.855,0:06:14.799
We found that if you give[br]people the tools,

0:06:14.823,0:06:16.513
they'll do the right thing.

0:06:19.291,0:06:21.196
But we need to take it a step further.

0:06:21.220,0:06:25.125
And, actually, I think we can dust off[br]Stephen Mather's playbook.

0:06:25.149,0:06:26.350
So what did he do?

0:06:26.374,0:06:29.918
So, the first thing that he did[br]was he focused on infrastructure.

0:06:29.942,0:06:32.704
So 1914 wasn't just[br]the time for the parks,

0:06:32.728,0:06:34.943
it was also a time for the automobile,

0:06:34.967,0:06:36.983
the Model T was rolling off the line

0:06:37.007,0:06:39.188
and Stephen Mather understood

0:06:39.212,0:06:42.220
that this was going to be[br]an important part of American culture.

0:06:42.244,0:06:45.363
And so he partnered with highway[br]associations around the country

0:06:45.387,0:06:48.871
to build big, beautiful highways[br]out to these parks.

0:06:48.895,0:06:52.349
And it worked, he's basically[br]invented car camping.

0:06:52.720,0:06:56.252
And he knew that if people[br]didn't go to these places,

0:06:56.276,0:06:59.332
that they wouldn’t fall in love with them[br]and they wouldn't care.

0:06:59.356,0:07:01.849
So that was a really insightful[br]idea that he had.

0:07:02.474,0:07:03.934
The second thing they did,

0:07:03.958,0:07:06.006
was they focused[br]on visionary philanthropy.

0:07:06.030,0:07:09.617
So, Stephen Mather was a successful[br]businessman from Chicago,

0:07:09.641,0:07:12.849
and anytime there was[br]a Parks Association that needed funding,

0:07:12.873,0:07:15.730
anytime there was a Highway[br]association that needed funding,

0:07:15.754,0:07:18.071
they'd step in, write[br]the checks, make it happen.

0:07:18.095,0:07:20.453
There's a great story[br]of his friend William Kent,

0:07:20.477,0:07:25.409
who recognized there was a small patch[br]of redwoods left on the base of Mount Tam,

0:07:25.433,0:07:27.093
and so he quickly bought the land

0:07:27.117,0:07:29.346
and donated it[br]to this National Parks effort.

0:07:29.370,0:07:30.695
That's Muir Woods today --

0:07:30.719,0:07:33.822
it's one of the most popular[br]national parks in the whole country.

0:07:33.846,0:07:36.128
My parents are visiting here[br]from Minnesota,

0:07:36.152,0:07:38.421
and they don't really even[br]care about this talk,

0:07:38.445,0:07:40.806
all they're talking about[br]is going to Muir Woods.

0:07:40.830,0:07:42.881
(Laughter)

0:07:43.659,0:07:45.299
But the last thing is critical.

0:07:45.323,0:07:47.728
Is Stephen Mather focused on engagement?

0:07:47.752,0:07:52.220
In one of the first meetings that they had[br]around this new system, he said,

0:07:52.244,0:07:54.712
"If you're a writer,[br]I want you to write about this.

0:07:54.736,0:07:58.601
If you're a business owner, I want you[br]to tell your clubs and your organizations.

0:07:58.625,0:08:01.611
If you work for the government,[br]I want you to pass regulation."

0:08:01.635,0:08:02.895
Everybody had a job.

0:08:02.919,0:08:05.042
"Each of you, all of you,[br]have a role to play

0:08:05.066,0:08:07.518
in protecting these places[br]for future generations."

0:08:08.161,0:08:10.248
Each of you, all of you.

0:08:11.154,0:08:12.304
I love that.

0:08:14.339,0:08:16.601
That's the plan --[br]simple, three-point plan.

0:08:17.585,0:08:19.387
I think we can do the same.

0:08:19.411,0:08:21.494
So, this was the headline[br]when Obama created

0:08:21.518,0:08:25.276
the Papahanaumokuakea National Monument:

0:08:25.300,0:08:28.165
"Lots to see, but good luck[br]trying to get there."

0:08:28.593,0:08:33.307
But like Mather, we should focus[br]on the technology of our time,

0:08:33.331,0:08:36.168
all of this new, amazing,[br]digital infrastructure

0:08:36.192,0:08:39.404
can be built to engage people[br]with the oceans.

0:08:39.751,0:08:44.133
So, the National Marine Sanctuary

0:08:44.157,0:08:47.863
has created all these[br]wonderful VR 360 videos,

0:08:47.887,0:08:51.021
where you can actually go[br]and see what these places look like.

0:08:51.395,0:08:53.850
Our team is continuing to build new tools,

0:08:53.874,0:08:56.729
this is our latest, this is[br]the trident underwater drone,

0:08:56.753,0:09:00.348
it's a diving submarine, it's sleek,[br]you can fit it in a backpack,

0:09:00.372,0:09:03.469
it can go down to 100 metres,[br]deeper than most divers can go.

0:09:03.796,0:09:07.999
They can see these environments[br]that most people have never had access to.

0:09:09.006,0:09:12.473
New tools are coming[br]and we need even better tools.

0:09:13.839,0:09:17.426
We can also use[br]more visionary philanthropists.

0:09:17.450,0:09:20.347
So, when Erik and I started this,[br]we didn't have any money,

0:09:20.371,0:09:22.771
we were building this in his garage.

0:09:23.163,0:09:24.594
But we went to Kickstarter.

0:09:24.618,0:09:26.201
And we found over 1,800 people,

0:09:26.225,0:09:28.721
almost a million dollars[br]we've raised on Kickstarter,

0:09:28.745,0:09:30.346
finding other people who think,

0:09:30.370,0:09:31.849
"Yeah, that's a good idea.

0:09:31.873,0:09:33.378
I want to be a part of that."

0:09:33.712,0:09:36.736
We need more ways for people[br]to get engaged,

0:09:36.760,0:09:39.479
and become visionary[br]philanthropists themselves.

0:09:39.503,0:09:41.516
We've also had[br]traditional philanthropists,

0:09:41.540,0:09:42.885
who've stepped up to fund us

0:09:42.909,0:09:46.131
in the SEE initiative --[br]the Science Education and Exploration,

0:09:46.155,0:09:50.969
who are going to help us get donated[br]units out to people on the frontlines,

0:09:50.993,0:09:54.255
people who are doing the science,[br]people who are telling the stories,

0:09:54.279,0:09:55.715
and inspiring communities.

0:09:55.739,0:09:59.032
You can go on to openexplorer.com[br]and see what people are doing,

0:09:59.056,0:10:01.104
it's hugely inspirational.

0:10:02.119,0:10:04.818
And it will also, hopefully,[br]spur you to get involved.

0:10:04.842,0:10:08.517
Because there is plenty of room[br]to get involved.

0:10:08.541,0:10:12.415
We want to hear what ideas you have[br]for telling these stories.

0:10:13.529,0:10:16.116
Because that's just it --[br]this is all about engagement.

0:10:16.140,0:10:19.997
There's all sorts of interesting,[br]new ways for people to participate

0:10:20.021,0:10:21.870
in the protection of these places.

0:10:21.894,0:10:23.188
And the understanding.

0:10:23.212,0:10:26.597
Like, Reef Check -- scuba divers[br]are going down and swimming transects

0:10:26.621,0:10:30.109
and counting fish and biodiversity data.

0:10:30.133,0:10:33.533
They're getting the information we need[br]to protect these places.

0:10:33.911,0:10:37.306
If you're going down to the beach,[br]participate in MPA Watch.

0:10:37.330,0:10:41.014
Document what activities you see[br]going on in these different areas.

0:10:41.038,0:10:44.304
There is room for everybody[br]to participate here.

0:10:45.490,0:10:47.410
And that's just it, that's what we need.

0:10:47.434,0:10:51.283
We need to build a future[br]for our grandkids' grandkids.

0:10:51.307,0:10:53.552
Last month, I went out sailing,

0:10:53.576,0:10:57.149
and we got out to the Farallon Islands,[br]25 miles off the Gate.

0:10:57.173,0:10:59.926
And most people think of this[br]as kind of a bird sanctuary,

0:10:59.950,0:11:02.617
but we took our robot and we sent it in.

0:11:03.125,0:11:07.322
And the people on the boat were astonished[br]at the life beneath the surface.

0:11:08.101,0:11:11.768
I mean, these are really,[br]really important ecosystems.

0:11:12.625,0:11:16.855
Really, and this is a whole[br]wild world we haven't yet explored.

0:11:16.879,0:11:19.871
And we have an opportunity right now,

0:11:19.895,0:11:22.037
just as they did 100 years ago,

0:11:22.061,0:11:26.886
to protect these places, to put in a plan,[br]to keep people engaged.

0:11:27.625,0:11:29.950
So last year, when the executive[br]order came out,

0:11:29.974,0:11:31.832
putting all of the progress we've made,

0:11:31.856,0:11:35.138
all of these new marine protected[br]areas, under review,

0:11:35.162,0:11:38.749
there were over 100,000 people[br]who commented online.

0:11:39.845,0:11:42.448
Almost all of these letter were saying,

0:11:42.472,0:11:46.805
"Don't do it; protecting these places[br]is the right thing to do."

0:11:47.839,0:11:51.728
My message to those 100,000 people,[br]those 100,000 letters is,

0:11:51.752,0:11:53.442
don't wait for Washington.

0:11:53.466,0:11:55.093
We can do this ourselves.

0:11:55.117,0:11:56.291
Thank you.

0:11:56.315,0:12:00.497
(Applause)