TILGHMAN ISLAND, Md. -- President Reagan, starting a three-day campaign to improve his standing with environmentalists, pledged strong federal help in saving Chesapeake Bay from pollution and declared such efforts are beyond partisan politics.
Lunching on crab cakes and oysters at a volunteer fire department at this picturesque center of the Maryland fishing industry, Reagan said the 'Save the Bay' movement 'has united a coalition of diverse interests and activated a broad range of individuals.'
Among the politicians he praised were Democratic Rep. Roy Dyson, in whose district he spoke, and Govs. Harry Hughes of Maryland and Charles Robb of Virginia, both Democrats.
With the help of environmentalists, he said, 'All of us together not only can save the bay but we're going to save the bay and restore it.'
The Chesapeake, fabled as the 'land of pleasant living' and the economic center of the Delmarva fishing industry, 'is more than an income for you,' he told local 'watermen.' 'It's a way of life, and believe me, we aren't going to let anything destroy it. This is not a question of environmental concern vs. economic development,' the president said. 'We can and will preserve the bay without hurting the economy and stopping growth.'
'I can promise you today,' he said, 'the federal government will do its utmost to cooperate with all concerned in a balanced and effective program to protect the bay. Conservation like this is not partisan politics -- it is common sense.'
The watermen gave Reagan a bushel of hard shell crabs and two dozen soft shell crabs, prompting the president to say, 'If I know those fellows (aides) of mine, somebody has intercepted them and said, 'Let's get 'em on the helicopter.''
Earlier, Reagan was briefed on on endangered species and new acquisitions at the nearby 14,263-acre Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge.
With the help of environmentalists, he said, 'All of us together not only can save the bay but we're going to save the bay and restore it.'
The Chesapeake, fabled as the 'land of pleasant living' and the economic center of the Delmarva fishing industry, 'is more than an income for you,' he told local 'watermen.' 'It's a way of life, and believe me, we aren't going to let anything destroy it. This is not a question of environmental concern vs. economic development,' the president said. 'We can and will preserve the bay without hurting the economy and stopping growth.'
'I can promise you today,' he said, 'the federal government will do its utmost to cooperate with all concerned in a balanced and effective program to protect the bay. Conservation like this is not partisan politics -- it is common sense.'
The watermen gave Reagan a bushel of hard shell crabs and two dozen soft shell crabs, prompting the president to say, 'If I know those fellows (aides) of mine, somebody has intercepted them and said, 'Let's get 'em on the helicopter.''
Earlier, Reagan was briefed on on endangered species and new acquisitions at the nearby 14,263-acre Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge.
The trip, branded by his critics as an election-year public relations display, came as Reagan sought to recover from a fresh barrage of criticism triggered by his appointment of Anne Burford, former head of the Environmental Protection Agency, to a federal advisory panel on oceans and the atmosphere.
Reagan was peppered with questions about the Burford appointment while he attempted to keep the focus of his excursion on his commitment to environmental quality.
At one point, White House spokesman Larry Speakes stepped between Reagan and the TV camaras in an effort to cut off the questioning. As a White House staffer turned off the lights, Reagan called Speakes 'my guardian' and walked away.
At Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge, where he received a briefing -- replete with charts and graphs -- that extolled his administration's efforts to repair and maintain the nation's parks and wetlands, Reagan said his appointment of Mrs. Burford should not have caused any political damage.
When asked whether his four-hour trip would reassure voters this fall of his dedication to conservation, Reagan replied: 'I'm not doing it from that standpoint. I know you don't believe that.'
'We kind of took the lead in California when I was governor ... in the environmental movement,' Reagan said. 'It's always been a great interest of mine and I just have to say -- for whatever clue it might give you -- I think that's been one of the best kept secrets about me and this administration since we've been here.'
At the 14,800-acre wildlife refuge, Reagan was shown a 9-week-old bald eagle and trekked to the top deck of a 50-foot high observation platform, draped in camouflage netting for security reasons, where he gazed through binoculars over a wide expanse of wooded area.
As a further symbolic gesture, he pulled two $5 bills from his pocket to purchase a $7.50 duck stamp that are sold to help acquire and maintain wildlife refuge lands.
Reagan later flew on to Tilghman Island, where he visited with 'watermen' at Dogwood Harbor and inspected the day's crab catch brought in by William Cummings.
Cummings told Reagan pollution has taken its toll on fishing in the bay.
Reagan, accompanied by EPA head William Ruckelshaus, told reporters while posing for pictures aboard the nearby skipjack, Lady Katie, that his administration will 'do what needs to be done' in association with Maryland, Virginia and the District of Columbia to clean up the bay.
The president said a $10 million program he announced in his State of the Union address in January -- criticized as too little, too late by some bay residents -- is 'not all that's being done.'
Ruckelshaus said $163 million is being spent on waste treatment plants throughout the area and insisted the actual clean up of the bay will 'take time.'
