Bill Text: IL HR0803 | 2013-2014 | 98th General Assembly | Introduced

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Bill Title: Honors Friends of the Parks president and executive officer Erma Tranter's efforts and results in preserving the State's environment and commends her for her devotion to protecting and nurturing our natural areas.

Sponsorship: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1)

Status: (Passed) 2014-02-05 - Resolution Adopted [HR0803 Detail]

Download: Illinois-2013-HR0803-Introduced.html

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HOUSE RESOLUTION
WHEREAS, Friends of the Parks is a non-profit advocacy
group based in Chicago; the group's mission is to preserve,
protect, improve, and promote the use of parks in Chicago and
in the forest preserves of Cook County; and
WHEREAS, Erma Tranter has been the President and Chief
Executive Officer of Friends of the Parks for over 33 years;
and
WHEREAS, During Erma's tenure, Friends of the Parks has
grown into one of the most respected and influential
environmental advocacy groups in Illinois; and
WHEREAS, Friends of the Parks improves the quality of life
in our State through programs that protect land of public value
along our lakefront and in our neighborhoods, through volunteer
activities that enlist citizens to adopt and steward their
local parks and through environmental education programs that
engage hundreds of Chicago Public School children each year,
and by pursuits that inform the public through lectures, tours,
and publications; and
WHEREAS, Erma's efforts have helped foster the Chicago
Marathon, the Garfield Park Conservancy Alliance, the DuSable

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Coalition, and the Clean Harbors Initiative, among many others;
and
WHEREAS, Through Erma's work, hundreds of acres of land
have been transferred to the Chicago Park District, and thereby
have been saved from private development; and
WHEREAS, Erma spearheaded the Last Four Miles, an
initiative to expand Chicago's lakefront park system, from
Evanston to the Indiana border; and
WHEREAS, Erma was a moving force in the creation of two
signature Chicago annual events, the L.A.T.E. Ride and the
Earth Day Parks & Preserves Clean Up; and
WHEREAS, Through her efforts, 23 acres of prairie and
wetlands on the northwest side of Chicago were saved from
development and designated as the Dunning-Read Conservation
Area; and
WHEREAS, Erma's leadership encouraged and supported
partnerships with many kindred organizations, including, but
not limited to the Chicago Park District, the Forest Preserve
District of Cook County, Friends of the River, Friends of the
Forest Preserves, Openlands, and the Chicago Area Runners
Association; and

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WHEREAS, After 33 years of exemplary service to Illinois,
Erma plans to leave Friends of the Parks in order to take on a
new challenge, bringing medical supplies to Guatemalan
villages; therefore, be it
RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE
NINETY-EIGHTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that
we applaud Erma Tranter's efforts and results in preserving the
State's environment, congratulate her for enhancing the fabric
of our shared lives, commend her for her devotion to protecting
and nurturing our natural areas, and offer our best wishes for
her continued success in the future; and be it further
RESOLVED, That we salute Erma Tranter on February 6, 2014,
as Friends of the Parks expresses its appreciation for her work
well done at its annual meeting and offers its enthusiastic
wishes for her continuing success in the next chapters of her
life; and be it further
RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be
presented to Erma Tranter as a symbol of our esteem and
respect.