Bill Text: TX SCR63 | 2019-2020 | 86th Legislature | Engrossed
Bill Title: Designating San Marcos as the Mermaid Capital of Texas.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)
Status: (N/A - Dead) 2019-05-23 - Received from the Senate [SCR63 Detail]
Download: Texas-2019-SCR63-Engrossed.html
By: Zaffirini | S.C.R. No. 63 |
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WHEREAS, For thousands of years, the mermaid has been one of | ||
the most striking symbols of humanity's connection with the natural | ||
world, and over the past century, this legendary figure has come to | ||
represent the city of San Marcos and its special relationship to the | ||
water resources of Central Texas; and | ||
WHEREAS, The story of the mermaid in San Marcos begins with | ||
the abundant springs that every day release 100 million gallons of | ||
freshwater from the Edwards Aquifer into the San Marcos River; | ||
considered a sacred place by Native Americans, and regarded as the | ||
creation site of the Coahuiltecans, the springs have drawn people | ||
to their banks for more than 11,500 years, making this area what is | ||
thought to be one of the oldest continually inhabited sites in North | ||
America; and | ||
WHEREAS, In 1845, Edward Burleson, a former vice president of | ||
the Republic of Texas, dammed the headwaters of the San Marcos | ||
River, thereby creating Spring Lake; over the ensuing years, the | ||
water from the lake powered gristmills, sawmills, an ice factory, | ||
and an electric light works; the San Marcos River also constituted | ||
an important water stop along the Chisholm Trail; and | ||
WHEREAS, A. B. Rogers bought Edward Burleson's homestead in | ||
the 1920s and built a resort hotel on the shore of the lake; he later | ||
began offering rides in glass-bottomed boats that allowed visitors | ||
to see through the crystal water to the bubbling springs beneath; | ||
his son Paul, who succeeded him, established the Aquarena Springs | ||
amusement park on the property and in 1950 built an underwater | ||
theater, where young women known as "aquamaids" staged exhibitions | ||
of synchronized swimming and underwater ballet; at the peak of its | ||
popularity, the park drew up to 350,000 visitors every year and was | ||
featured in Life magazine, and the submerged theater was featured | ||
on the cover of Popular Mechanics; in time, the show came to include | ||
Glurpo, a pipe-smoking clown, and a swimming pig named Ralph; and | ||
WHEREAS, The performances continued until the 1990s, when | ||
Texas State University acquired the park and set a new course for | ||
the property; today, the site hosts the Meadows Center for Water and | ||
the Environment, which conducts research and educational programs | ||
focused on promoting sustainable water management and | ||
environmental stewardship; the critical nature of the center's work | ||
is underscored by the fact that the Edwards Aquifer supplies | ||
drinking water to several million people and serves as the | ||
principal source of water for agriculture and industry throughout | ||
the region, while waters discharged by the aquifer also support | ||
recreation and tourism; in addition, the aquifer system sustains | ||
over 40 highly adapted species and a number that are either | ||
threatened or endangered, including five found in the San Marcos | ||
Springs and a stretch of river just below the springs; and | ||
WHEREAS, In 2016, the Mermaid Society of San Marcos was | ||
created to foster harmony among the varied interests of | ||
environmentalism, the arts, and economic growth; the society has | ||
established an annual Mermaid Week, which includes a parade, the | ||
Mermaid Society Ball, and the Mermaid SPLASH Festival; and | ||
WHEREAS, Through its arts program and with revenue from its | ||
hotel occupancy tax, the City of San Marcos has funded a number of | ||
mermaid-themed works of public art, including a mural and a series | ||
of seven-foot-tall statues decorated by various artists; and | ||
WHEREAS, By adopting the mermaid as a symbol of the city, the | ||
people of San Marcos are encouraging public interest in the natural | ||
environment and highlighting the central role that their community | ||
is playing in preserving the water resources of the Lone Star State; | ||
now, therefore, be it | ||
RESOLVED, That the 86th Legislature of the State of Texas | ||
hereby designate San Marcos as the Mermaid Capital of Texas; and, be | ||
it further | ||
RESOLVED, That, in accordance with the provisions of Section | ||
391.003(e), Government Code, this designation remain in effect | ||
until the 10th anniversary of its designation. |