SR0981 98TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

SR0981 LRB098 20555 GRL 56718 r

SENATE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, Operation Endangered Species seeks to address the recognized needs of all State agencies, as well as the plight of organisms threatened with extinction through the empowerment of students in classrooms across the State to cooperate, collaborate, and create a template which reaches across many disciplines, easily adapts to any endangered species, and creates a curriculum template for giving students the tools to take action; and

WHEREAS, Operation Endangered Species' mission is to engineer innovated education techniques to better educate students in order to protect and bring back endangered species; and

WHEREAS, Operation Endangered Species was founded and established in 2011 at Pontiac Township High School; the program is currently in 11 schools with over 1,000 students; the organization started with 4 Alligator Snapping Turtles and now has 17; Mr. Ritter and Mr. Soares, along with their students, plan to have 5,000 turtles by 2021; and

WHEREAS, Pontiac Township High School has been aided by a generous support donation from the State Farm Youth Advisory Board, Illinois State University, the Illinois Department of Natural Resources, and Tetra-Fauna for donating supplies and food for the Alligator Snapping Turtles; Dr. Brady Barr from National Geographic is also recognized for inspiring the project and for bestowing knowledge of endangered species; and

WHEREAS, Article XI, Section I of the Constitution of the State of Illinois states: "The public policy of the State and the duty of each person is to provide and maintain a helpful environment for the benefit of this and future generations"; Section II of the Constitution states that "each person has the right to a healthful environment. Each person may enforce this right against any party, governmental or private, through appropriate legal proceedings subject to reasonable limitation and regulation as the General Assembly may provide by law"; and

WHEREAS, Operation Endangered Species remains true to this plan and is continuing to expand; students are participating in the saving of a species and taking advantage of their right to improve the environment and their communities; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE NINETY-EIGHTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we designate the date of March 20, 2014 as Endangered Species Day in the State of Illinois in hopes to gain national awareness for all endangered species; and be it further

RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be presented to Operation Endangered Species at Pontiac Township High School.