HR0717 103RD GENERAL ASSEMBLY

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HOUSE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The Fox River was central to the lives of Native Americans inhabiting the Fox River Valley in Wisconsin and Illinois for millennia, providing an abundance of food and water to wildlife and those native populations; and

WHEREAS, The Fox River was central to the lives of early settlers of the Fox River Valley, providing a source of water and power to mill the grains to feed those settlers, saw the lumber to shelter those settlers, and drive the early machinery, which formed the commercial and industrial base that gave first growth to the community; and

WHEREAS, The Fox River, once a fine fishery and source of public water, became burdened with the uncontrolled discharge of industrial, commercial and municipal wastes, with the resulting pollution threatening the health and welfare of all populations of the Fox River, including human and wildlife; and

WHEREAS, Sustained and increasingly diligent and effective efforts have been made over the past century to reduce and eliminate pollution and changes to the Fox River's natural shorelines; and

WHEREAS, The Fox River has been largely freed from its burden of pollution and once again has become a safe source of recreation and reliable public water supply, with its fish and wildlife population in clear recovery; and

WHEREAS, The historic, present, and future value of this unique and precious natural resource to the state and all other communities within and beyond the Fox River Valley is of the utmost importance; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE HUNDRED THIRD GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we declare September 21, 2024 as It's Our Fox River Day; and be it further

RESOLVED, That we encourage events, public and private, that honor and celebrate the life and well-being of the Fox River for the benefit of those of us today and for the generations to come.