Bill Text: IA SJR2001 | 2017-2018 | 87th General Assembly | Introduced

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Bill Title: A joint resolution recognizing the fossil crinoid as the state fossil.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 7-0)

Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2018-01-18 - Introduced, referred to Natural Resources and Environment. [SJR2001 Detail]

Download: Iowa-2017-SJR2001-Introduced.html

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Senate Joint Resolution 2001 - Introduced




                                 SENATE JOINT RESOLUTION       
                                 BY  BOLKCOM, DOTZLER,
                                     DVORSKY, TAYLOR,
                                     KINNEY, ALLEN, and
                                     BOULTON

                                      SENATE JOINT RESOLUTION

  1 A Joint Resolution recognizing the fossil crinoid as the state
  2    fossil.
  3 WHEREAS, the study of fossils contained in sedimentary rock
  4 formations in the state provides geologists with evidence of
  5 the geological and paleontological history of the state; and
  6 WHEREAS, fossils of crinoids, marine invertebrates which
  7 live in all depths and temperatures, are abundant in the rock
  8 of marine origin underlying the state, including significant
  9 deposits in the cities of Burlington, Le Grand, and Gilmore
 10 City; and
 11 WHEREAS, the crinoid has survived approximately 500 million
 12 years of earth history and remains an active part of the
 13 world's ocean life; and
 14 WHEREAS, crinoid skeletal fragments make up a significant
 15 portion of the limestone deposits of Iowa, providing Iowa
 16 industry with the limestone used for road base, as agricultural
 17 lime, as building stone, and as the raw material for cement
 18 including "portland cement", which is used to form the most
 19 widely used type of construction cement; and
 20 WHEREAS, in addition to the economic benefits resulting from
 21 the presence of fossil crinoids, the crinoid has also brought
 22 recognition to the state and to citizens of the state as the
 23 result of the research of both professionals and amateurs; and
 24 WHEREAS, three of these researchers have received
 25 recognition in the global scientific community for their
 26 efforts: Charles Wachsmuth (1829=1896), a German immigrant who
 27 settled at Burlington and who, due to his collecting, research,
 28 and writings regarding the crinoid, received an appointment
 29 to the Museum of Comparative Zoology at Harvard University;
 30 Frank Springer (1848=1927) who, as an attorney practicing in
 31 Burlington, became a friend and coworker of Charles Wachsmuth
 32 with whom he produced many texts on crinoids and for whom a
 33 room at the Smithsonian Institution is named; and Bernice H.
 34 Bean (1879=1966) who, as a farmer near Le Grand, collected,
 35 studied, and wrote about crinoids, saving thousands of
 36 perfectly preserved fossil crinoids from destruction, thereby
 37 providing universities and museums across the nation with
 38 exhibits of these specimens, including a past exhibit at the
 39 State Historical Building; and
 40 WHEREAS, pictures of crinoids found in Iowa have been
 41 featured on the covers of scholarly journals and magazines; and
 42 WHEREAS, members of the paleontology community have referred
 43 to the city of Burlington as "the crinoid capital of the
 44 world"; and
 45 WHEREAS, the fossil crinoid, also referred to as the sea
 46 lily, is a symbol of the state's geological and paleontological
 47 heritage, has provided economic benefits to the state as a
 48 source of limestone, and is recognized for its completeness and
 49 beauty worldwide; NOW THEREFORE,
 50 BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF IOWA:
    TLSB 5430XS (5) 87
    js/rn

PAG LIN



  1  1    Section 1.  STATE FOSSIL DESIGNATION.
  1  2    The fossil crinoid shall officially be designated as the
  1  3 state fossil of Iowa.
  1  4    Sec. 2.  OFFICIAL REGISTER.
  1  5    The edition of the Iowa official register shall include an
  1  6 appropriate illustration of the fossil crinoid, accompanied by
  1  7 suitable text in the section devoted to the state flower, state
  1  8 bird, state rock, and state tree.
  1  9                           EXPLANATION
  1 10 The inclusion of this explanation does not constitute agreement with
  1 11 the explanation's substance by the members of the general assembly.
  1 12    This joint resolution proposes the official designation
  1 13 of the fossil crinoid as the state fossil. The resolution
  1 14 describes the way in which the fossil crinoid has benefited the
  1 15 state, including the fossil's economic and aesthetic benefits.
  1 16 The Iowa official register shall include an appropriate
  1 17 illustration of the fossil crinoid accompanied by suitable text
  1 18 in the section devoted to the state's official symbols.
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