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Mexico City, April 20, 2007 — “Every April for the last 37 years, the United States has celebrated Earth Day, at home and with our friends in many countries around the world. This event is a celebration of the environment and a time to reflect on how we can all further protect and preserve the precious gift of earth’s natural resources.
“Today, I joined several colleagues from the governments of both Mexico and the United States in a ceremony to commemorate Earth Day at Chapultepec Zoo. Around the world, the focus of this year’s Earth Day celebration is species conservation. Today, I am especially delighted to announce that, as part of the U.S./Mexico Condor Conservation Program, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, in partnership with the San Diego Zoo, will soon be bringing two California condors to Chapultepec Zoo to be used as part of an educational exhibit.
“This initial transfer of endangered condors represents the first step in helping Chapultepec Zoo establish a California condor captive breeding program, making the Zoo the first outside the United States certified as a captive reproduction center. Through the Secretariat of the Environment and Natural Resources (SEMARNAT), Mexico has already had fantastic results in helping to reintroduce condors into the wild.
“I hope that Mexicans and foreign visitors alike will visit the Zoo often to learn more about the California condor and other important programs established to help conserve our extraordinary biological diversity.
“The United States and Mexico have long worked together to preserve our shared environment. Over the past three years, the U.S. Government has invested over $70 million dollars in a wide variety of environmental programs throughout Mexico. Specific programs promote watershed management, sustainable agriculture, and ecotourism, and share new technologies to generate renewable energy, reduce water and air pollution and improve the efficiency of energy use. The U.S. also supports Mexico’s efforts to prevent forest fires, saving millions in resources and protecting human lives.
“Earth Day has made us recognize that with the blessings of nature come responsibilities – responsibilities to ensure that we leave to our children and grandchildren a legacy of clean water, clean air, and thriving marine and land habitats.”
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