Bill Text: TX HCR54 | 2013-2014 | 83rd Legislature | Enrolled
Bill Title: Designating Grand Prairie as the Purple Martin Conservation Capital of Texas.
Sponsorship: Partisan Bill (Republican 2)
Status: (Passed) 2013-05-18 - Signed by the Governor [HCR54 Detail]
Download: Texas-2013-HCR54-Enrolled.html
| H.C.R. No. 54 | ||
|
|
||
| WHEREAS, The purple martin is one of this country's | ||
| best-loved songbirds, and the city of Grand Prairie has become a | ||
| leading center for purple martin conservation in the Lone Star | ||
| State; and | ||
| WHEREAS, Members of the swallow family, purple martins are | ||
| admired for their iridescent blue-black coloring, their pleasant | ||
| song, and their graceful aerial acrobatics; they feed on insects, | ||
| catching all of their food in flight, and drink by skimming the | ||
| surface of a pond and scooping up water with their lower bills; and | ||
| WHEREAS, Purple martins fly north in the spring to breed in | ||
| Mexico, the United States, and Canada; after their young are | ||
| hatched and able to fly, a process that takes approximately 70 days, | ||
| the birds migrate south again to their winter range in the lowlands | ||
| east of the Andes Mountains; and | ||
| WHEREAS, In the western part of North America, purple martins | ||
| still nest in natural cavities in trees and cliff faces, but east of | ||
| the Rocky Mountains, for more than a century now, the bird has | ||
| nested almost exclusively in artificial housing supplied by humans; | ||
| today, it is estimated that more than a million "landlords" put up | ||
| housing for purple martins, who typically return to their last | ||
| successful homesite; and | ||
| WHEREAS, Since the founding of the Purple Martin Landlords of | ||
| North Texas in 1999, the group's members have supported research | ||
| concerning these birds and have worked to educate area citizens | ||
| about their needs; based in Grand Prairie, the club has further | ||
| promoted the construction of purple martin housing in various | ||
| public locations around the city, including at schools, libraries, | ||
| the municipal golf course, the Kirby Creek Natural Science | ||
| Education Center, and Loyd Park on Joe Pool Lake; and | ||
| WHEREAS, Each year, the mayor and city council of Grand | ||
| Prairie proclaim Purple Martin Day to raise public awareness and | ||
| encourage support for the perpetuation of the species; and | ||
| WHEREAS, Grand Prairie residents have demonstrated a special | ||
| affinity for purple martins and devoted considerable time and | ||
| resources to help them flourish; thanks to the keen interest and | ||
| energetic efforts of these citizens, springtime in the city now | ||
| heralds the return of large numbers of this shimmering bird, whose | ||
| distinctive song and aerial displays have become a source of | ||
| immense delight to countless observers; now, therefore, be it | ||
| RESOLVED, That the 83rd Legislature of the State of Texas | ||
| hereby designate Grand Prairie as the official Purple Martin | ||
| Conservation Capital of Texas. | ||
| Harper-Brown | ||
| ______________________________ | ______________________________ | |
| President of the Senate | Speaker of the House | |
| I certify that H.C.R. No. 54 was adopted by the House on April | ||
| 25, 2013, by the following vote: Yeas 136, Nays 0, 2 present, not | ||
| voting. | ||
| ______________________________ | ||
| Chief Clerk of the House | ||
| I certify that H.C.R. No. 54 was adopted by the Senate on May | ||
| 5, 2013, by the following vote: Yeas 30, Nays 0. | ||
| ______________________________ | ||
| Secretary of the Senate | ||
| APPROVED: __________________ | ||
| Date | ||
| __________________ | ||
| Governor | ||
