Bill Text: TX HCR54 | 2013-2014 | 83rd Legislature | Enrolled
Bill Title: Designating Grand Prairie as the Purple Martin Conservation Capital of Texas.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Republican 2-0)
Status: (Passed) 2013-05-18 - Signed by the Governor [HCR54 Detail]
Download: Texas-2013-HCR54-Enrolled.html
H.C.R. No. 54 |
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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 |