So, of all my childhood memories, there is one that stands above the rest. And that is the time that my brave parents rented an RV, packed it with me and my brothers, and drove west from our house in Minneapolis, out to Yellowstone National Park. We saw all the sights, like the geysers, we stopped at the Badlands, but more than any of the places, I remember this as an adventure.
在我所有的童年记忆中, 有一件事比其他任何回忆都更重要。 那次,我勇敢的父母租了一辆房车, 和我们兄弟几个一起整装出发, 从我们在明尼阿波利斯的家 往西开到黄石国家公园。 我们饱览了所有景色,看了间歇泉谷, 还在恶地(Badlands)驻足, 但比这些景色更重要的是, 在我的印象中,那成了一次探险。
This was my introduction to the Wild West. But it wasn't until I got older and I learned more about the National Park System that I realized just how lucky I was. One, to have that experience, but also that, hundreds of years ago, people had the foresight to set aside the very best places, the very best ecosystems in the country, for everyone. And for future generations. And to really appreciate just how prescient that idea was, you have to go back and you have to look at the history of the National Parks Service.
这是我对狂野西部的第一印象。 但直到我长大些了, 对国家公园系统有了更多的了解, 才意识到我是多么幸运。 不仅是能拥有那样的经历, 还包括几百年前, 人们就怀有这种远见, 留出了这片最好的土地, 把全国最好的生态系统, 留给每一个人,以及子孙后代。 要真正领悟这个想法多有先见之明, 就必须要回顾一下, 看看国家公园管理局的历史。
So, a lot of people know, the first national park was Yellowstone, in 1872. A lot of people think of John Muir, the poet, naturalist, who was such a visionary in getting people inspired by the idea of conservation -- that we need to take the best places and protect them. He had an audience in very high places -- there's a great story of Teddy Roosevelt and John Muir going hiking, in Yosemite, during his presidency, four days, completely off the grid, just the two of them. Can you imagine a president actually just going completely off the grid for four days?
很多人都知道,第一个国家公园是 1872年成立的黄石公园。 很多人会想到诗人、博物学家 约翰 · 缪尔(John Muir), 一个很有远见的人, 他让人们受到保护区理念的启发—— 那就是要把最好的地方保护起来。 他的听众地位非常高—— 泰迪 · 罗斯福和约翰 · 缪尔有一段传奇, 在罗斯福总统的任期内, 他们俩去优胜美地徒步旅行, 四天,完全失联,只有他们两个人。 你能想象一个总统 真的能四天完全失联吗?
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No tweeting.
不发微博。
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Like that idea.
好喜欢这个想法。
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But he had a great impact on Theodore Roosevelt. And he created dozens of national parks, hundreds of thousands of square acres of national wildlife refuges. It was an important administration, but it wasn't a done deal. Even less than 10 years after he created all of those new places, the future of those places was very much in doubt. And it wasn't until this guy, Stephen Mather, a businessman from Chicago, wrote an angry letter to the Department of the Interior, saying, "You guys aren't doing a good enough job protecting and preserving these places." Then, something was done about it. The Department of the Interior wrote him back. "Mr. Mather, if you care so much about this, why don't you come to Washington and do it yourself?"
不过约翰 · 缪尔对 西奥多 · 罗斯福的影响很大。 他建立了几十个国家公园, 数十万平方英亩的 国家野生动物保护区。 那是很重要的管理体系,但还不完善。 在他创建了这些新地方 之后还不到10年, 这些地方的未来就开始饱受质疑。 直到这个人,斯蒂芬 · 马瑟, 一位来自芝加哥的商人, 给内政部写了一封 怒气冲天的信,他说, “你们对这些地方的保护做得不够好。” 然后,事情有了进展。 内政部给他回信了。 “马瑟先生,既然你这么关心这件事, 何不到华盛顿来,亲自去做呢?”
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And he did. He took a job at the Department of the Interior, but more importantly, he started a campaign. He actually had a meeting two blocks from here, in 1914, in California Hall, and he brought together the park superintendents and a few other people who cared about this idea of conservation. And they put together a plan, they hatched a campaign that eventually led to the National Park Service in 1916. And that's really important. Because it went from an idea that we should protect these places to an actual plan, a way for people to enlist and carry that idea forward for future generations, so little kids like me can go and have these amazing experiences.
然后,他去了。 他接受了内政部的工作, 更重要的是,他发起了一场运动。 1914年,他在离这里 两个街区的地方开了个会, 在加利福尼亚大厅, 他召集了公园管理者和 其他一些关心保护理念的人。 他们制定了计划,策划了运动, 最终促成国家公园管理局 在1916年成立。 这非常重要。 因为它从一个我们应该 保护这些地方的想法 变成了一个实际的计划, 一种召集人马并实现想法的方式, 这是为了子孙后代, 让像我这样的小孩能 去体验这些奇妙的经历。
That is the history of the National Parks on land. The ocean, what I want to talk to you about today, is a completely different story. And we are almost precisely 100 years behind. So, the first marine sanctuary was in 1972, after the oil spill in Santa Barbara, people got interested in taking that concept and applying it to underwater environments. We've had our own John Muir, who's Dr. Sylvia Earle, who's been a tireless advocate for creating these marine protected areas around the world. So, I know there's a lot of bad news about the ocean, there's plastic pollution, coral bleaching, over-fishing -- it's hard to take it all in sometimes. But this idea of setting aside places for nature is working. Science tells us that if you set these places aside, nature will come back and we can keep the oceans healthy. So we know this idea works. And Dr. Sylvia Earl has been influential, like John Muir, with administrations -- George W. Bush and Obama were both fantastic ocean presidents, creating marine protected areas all around the country. This is not a conservative idea or a liberal idea, it's not even an American idea, it's just a good idea.
这就是陆地国家公园的历史。 而海洋,也是我今天要谈的主题, 则有着一个完全不同的故事。 海洋(的生态保护工作)比陆地 落后了几乎整整100年。 第一个海洋保护区是在1972年建立的, 加州圣巴巴拉的石油泄漏之后, 人们开始关注保护概念, 并对水下环境实施保护。 我们有自己的约翰 · 缪尔, 希尔维亚席 · 厄尔博士, 她孜孜不倦地倡导 在世界各地建立海洋保护区。 我知道海洋环境存在的问题很多, 比如塑料污染、珊瑚白化、 过度捕捞—— 有时很难全都顾及到。 但这个留出空间让大自然 自己恢复的想法正在起作用。 科学告诉我们,如果不去打扰这些地方, 自然生态会逐渐恢复, 我们可以保持海洋的健康。 所以我们知道这个想法是可行的。 西尔维亚 · 厄尔博士和约翰 · 缪尔一样, 在政府中也有影响力—— 乔治 · W · 布什和奥巴马总统 为保护海洋都做出了卓越的贡献, 在全国各处建立了海洋保护区。 这个想法无关保守派或自由派, 它甚至不是属于美国的想法, 这单纯就是一个好的想法。
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But --
但是——
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Here we are, a few years later. And now the administration is proposing to roll back a lot of the progress we've made in the past 20 years. So, so, don't mourn -- organize. We need to do what Stephen Mather did 100 years ago. We need to start a campaign to get people engaged with this idea. And I think we need a league of citizen scientists for the ocean. And I've seen glimpses of this future, and I know that it's possible.
几年之后的今天,形势出现了变化。 因为现在政府正打算 倒行逆施,抹去过去20年 我们取得的许多进步。 所以,不要哀叹——组织起来吧。 我们要做的是斯蒂芬 · 马瑟 在100年前做过的事情。 我们需要发起一场运动,让人们参与进来。 我认为我们需要一个海洋公民科学家联盟。 我见过这样的美好未来,我知道这可行。
My friend Erik and I started building underwater robots, these little swimming cameras with lights that you can see underwater. We started building these in his garage five years ago, and we've watched that grow into this community of thousands of people around the world, who believe that everybody should have access to these places. We all deserve the tools to go and explore. There's stories like Laura James, who used her robot to find out that sea stars in her area were dying. And she started this whole citizen science campaign, collected data and drove awareness for sea-star wasting syndrome, to try and figure out what was happening there. There are stories of fishermen in Mexico, who used the robot to create marine protected areas where Nassau grouper were spawning, to protect the future of this species. It's really amazing stuff. We found that if you give people the tools, they'll do the right thing.
我和朋友埃里克开始制造水下机器人, 这些小型游泳摄像机有灯光, 可以帮你看到水下。 我们五年前开始在他的车库里做这些东西, 我们看着它走入 世界各地的成千上万人, 这些相信每个人都应该 看到美丽海洋的人。 我们都应该有工具去探索。 有像劳拉 · 詹姆斯这样的故事, 她用她的机器人发现 当地的海星正在死亡。 于是她发起了全民科学运动, 收集数据,提高人们对 海星消瘦综合症的认识, 并试图找出原因。 还有墨西哥的渔民的故事, 他们用这个机器人建立海洋保护区, 保护纳索石斑鱼的产卵地, 以保护这个物种的未来。 这真是太神奇了。 我们发现,只要你给人们提供工具, 人们就会去做正确的事情。
But we need to take it a step further. And, actually, I think we can dust off Stephen Mather's playbook. So what did he do? So, the first thing that he did was he focused on infrastructure. So 1914 wasn't just a time for the parks, it was also a time for the automobile, the Model T was rolling off the line, and Stephen Mather understood that this was going to be an important part of American culture. And so he partnered with highway associations around the country to build big, beautiful highways out to these parks. And it worked, he's basically invented car camping. And he knew that if people didn't go to these places, that they wouldn’t fall in love with them and they wouldn't care. So that was a really insightful idea that he had.
但我们需要更进一步。 实际上,我想可以重温一下 史蒂芬 · 马瑟的剧本。 他做了什么? 他做的第一件事就是关注基础设施建设。 1914年不仅仅是公园的时代, 也是汽车的时代, T型车源源不断地出产, 斯蒂芬 · 马瑟明白, 汽车将是美国文化的重要组成部分。 于是他与全国的公路协会合作, 修建了宽阔漂亮的公路, 可以通向这些公园。 效果令人称赞,他算得上 是汽车露营的发明者。 他知道,如果人们不去到这些地方, 就不会爱上这些地方,也就不会在乎。 他的这一想法非常有见地。
The second thing they did, was they focused on visionary philanthropy. So, Stephen Mather was a successful businessman from Chicago, and anytime there was a parks association that needed funding, anytime there was a highway association that needed funding, they'd step in, write the checks, make it happen. There's a great story of his friend William Kent, who recognized there was a small patch of redwoods left on the base of Mount Tam, and so he quickly bought the land and donated it to this National Parks effort. That's Muir Woods today -- it's one of the most popular national parks in the whole country. My parents are visiting here from Minnesota, and they don't really even care about this talk, all they're talking about is going to Muir Woods.
他们做的第二件事, 就是专注于富有远见的慈善事业。 斯蒂芬 · 马瑟是一位 来自芝加哥的成功商人, 只要有公园协会需要资金, 只要有高速公路协会需要资金, 他们就介入,开出支票,让项目启动。 关于他的朋友威廉 · 肯特 (William Kent),有一个很精彩的故事, 他在塔姆山(Mount Tam)的 山脚下发现了一小片红杉, 于是他迅速买下了这片土地, 并把它捐给了国家公园。 这就是今天的缪尔森林(Muir Woods )—— 它是全国最受欢迎的国家公园之一。 我的父母从明尼苏达州来到这里, 但根本不关心我的演讲, 他们喋喋不休谈论的都是缪尔森林。
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But the last thing is critical -- Stephen Mather focused on engagement. In one of the first meetings that they had around this new system, he said, "If you're a writer, I want you to write about this. If you're a business owner, I want you to tell your clubs and your organizations. If you work for the government, I want you to pass regulation." Everybody had a job. "Each of you, all of you, have a role to play in protecting these places for future generations." Each of you, all of you. I love that.
但最后一件事十分关键—— 斯蒂芬 · 马瑟很重视公众参与。 在关于这个新系统召开的 第一次会议上,他说: “如果你是一名作家,我希望 你能把这个写出来。 如果你是一位企业主,我希望 你把这告诉你的俱乐部和公司。 如果你为政府工作,我希望 你能推行监管措施。” 保护环境,人人有责。 “你们每个人,你们所有人,都有义务 为子孙后代保护这些地方。” 你们每一个人,你们所有人。 多么精彩的陈述。
That's the plan -- simple, three-point plan. I think we can do the same. So, this was the headline when Obama created the Papahanaumokuakea National Monument: "Lots to see, but good luck trying to get there." But like Mather, we should focus on the technology of our time, all of this new, amazing, digital infrastructure can be built to engage people with the oceans. So, the National Marine Sanctuary has created all these wonderful VR 360 videos, where you can actually go and see what these places look like.
这就是计划——简单的三项计划。 我想我们也能这样做。 奥巴马创建帕帕哈诺莫夸基亚 国家纪念碑的时候, 新闻头条是这样的: “有很多东西值得一看, 但祝你能顺利抵达。” 但像马瑟一样,我们应该关注 属于我们这个时代的技术, 所有这些新的、令人惊叹的数字基础设施 都可以帮助人们进一步接触海洋。 国家海洋保护区 制作了这些美妙的VR360全景视频, 你可以在这些视频里看到 那些地方是什么样子的。
Our team is continuing to build new tools, this is our latest, this is the trident underwater drone, it's a diving submarine, it's sleek, you can fit it in a backpack, it can go down to 100 meters, deeper than most divers can go. It can see these environments that most people have never had access to. New tools are coming and we need even better tools. We can also use more visionary philanthropists.
我们的团队在持续开发新工具, 这是我们最新的设计, Trident水下无人潜航器, 它是海底潜水设备,很灵活, 可以放在背包里, 它可以降到水下100米, 比大多数潜水者都要深。 它可以看到大多数人从未接触过的环境。 新的工具不断出现, 我们还需要更好的工具。 我们还需要更多富有远见的慈善家。
So, when Erik and I started this, we didn't have any money, we were building this in his garage. But we went to Kickstarter. And we found over 1,800 people, almost a million dollars we've raised on Kickstarter, finding other people who think, "Yeah, that's a good idea. I want to be a part of that." We need more ways for people to get engaged and become visionary philanthropists themselves. We've also had traditional philanthropists, who've stepped up to fund us in the SEE initiative -- the Science Education and Exploration, who are going to help us get donated units out to people on the frontlines, people who are doing the science, people who are telling the stories, inspiring communities. You can go on to OpenExplorer.com and see what people are doing, it's hugely inspirational. And it will also, hopefully, spur you to get involved.
当埃里克和我开始做 这个项目的时候,我们没有钱, 一切都始于他的车库。 但我们联系了Kickstarter, 找到了1800多人, 在Kickstarter网站上筹集了近100万美元, 我们找到了那些有同样想法的人, “啊,这是个好创意。 我想参与其中。” 我们需要通过更多的方式 让人们参与进来, 让人们自己变成有远见的慈善家。 我们也有传统的慈善家, 他们为我们出资 支持SEE计划——科学教育和探索, 这个机会将帮助我们 把捐款送达第一线的人, 做科学的人,讲故事的人, 激励大家的人。 你可以去OpenExplorer.com 看看人们在做什么, 非常鼓舞人心。 希望它也能激励你参与其中。
Because there is plenty of room to get involved. We want to hear what ideas you have for telling these stories.
因为有大量的机会等待你去施展拳脚。 我们想听听你对讲这些故事有什么想法。
Because that's just it -- this is all about engagement. There's all sorts of interesting, new ways for people to participate in the protection of these places. And the understanding. Like, Reef Check -- scuba divers are going down and swimming transects and counting fish and biodiversity data. They're getting the information we need to protect these places. If you're going down to the beach, participate in MPA Watch. Document what activities you see going on in these different areas. There is room for everybody to participate here. And that's just it, that's what we need. We need to build a future for our grandkids' grandkids.
就是这么简单——只需要人们积极参与。 有各种各样有趣的新方式鼓励人们参与到 保护这些地方的活动中来。 还有(对这一行动的)理解。 比如,珊瑚礁普查——潜水员们 在水下进行横断面游泳, 计算鱼类和生物多样性数据。 他们在收集我们需要的 信息来保护这些地方。 如果你要去海滩,可以参加MPA观察。 记录你在这些不同领域看到的活动。 这里有让每个人都能参与的空间。 这就是我们需要的,就这么简单。 我们需要为后代的后代创造未来。
Last month, I went out sailing, and we got out to the Farallon Islands, 25 miles off the Gate. And most people think of this as kind of a bird sanctuary, but we took our robot, and we sent it in. And the people on the boat were astonished at the life beneath the surface. I mean, these are really, really important ecosystems. Really, and this is a whole wild world we haven't yet explored. And we have an opportunity right now, just as they did 100 years ago, to protect these places, to put in a plan, to keep people engaged.
上个月,我出海航行, 我们到了离金门25英里的法拉龙群岛。 大多数人认为这是一个鸟类保护区, 但是我们带了机器人,把它送到水下。 一船人都被水下的生物群震惊了。 这些是非常非常重要的生态系统。 真的,这是一个我们还没有 探索过的野生世界。 我们正面临着一个机会, 就像人们在100年前做的那样, 保护这些地方,制定计划, 让大家一起参与。
So last year, when the executive order came out, putting all of the progress we've made, all of these new marine protected areas, under review, there were over 100,000 people who commented online. Almost all of these letters were saying, "Don't do it; protecting these places is the right thing to do." My message to those 100,000 people, those 100,000 letters is: don't wait for Washington. We can do this ourselves.
所以去年,当那个行政命令出台时, 要审查我们取得的所有进展, 审查所有这些新的海洋保护区, 有超过10万人在网上评论。 几乎所有这些留言都在说, “不要这样做;保护这些地方是正确的做法。” 我给这10万人,那10万条留言的回复是: 不要等待华盛顿。 我们自己就可以行动起来。
Thank you.
谢谢大家!
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