SR0785 104TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

SR0785 LRB104 21552 ECR 36960 r

SENATE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois Senate wish to congratulate the Illinois Department of Natural Resources on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the dedication of Margery C. Carlson Nature Preserve; and

WHEREAS, The Illinois Natural Areas Preservation Act created a system for preserving and protecting areas of the state as a part of the heritage of the people of Illinois; and

WHEREAS, Illinois Nature Preserves are of value for scientific research, for teaching, as reservoirs of natural materials with potential uses yet to be discovered, as habitats for rare and vanishing species, as places of historic and natural interest and scenic beauty, and as living museums of the native landscape wherein one may envision and experience primeval conditions in a wilderness-like environment; and

WHEREAS, Illinois Nature Preserves contribute generally to the public health and welfare and the environmental quality of the State; and

WHEREAS, Margery C. Carlson Nature Preserve, located in LaSalle County, was officially established in 1976 to protect and conserve its young forest, bluffs, and stream communities along the Vermilion River in the Grand Prairie Section; and

WHEREAS, Margery C. Carlson Nature Preserve is named in honor of an Illinois conservation hero, Margery Claire Carlson, originally of Arthur, who became the first full-time female professor at Northwestern University and was a founder of the Illinois chapter of The Nature Conservancy, serving as its first secretary and trustee, and whose decades of advocacy helped protect other Illinois natural areas, including the Volo Bog State Natural Area, Illinois Beach State Park, and Matthiessen State Park; and

WHEREAS, Margery C. Carlson Nature Preserve is recognized for its eroding bluff plant communities representative of sites near the Vermilion River, making it an important natural area within north-central Illinois; and

WHEREAS, Margery C. Carlson Nature Preserve provides critical habitat for a diverse array of plant and animal species, including over 75 species of flowering herbaceous plants, such as forked aster and bottle gentian, deer, beavers, and red foxes; and

WHEREAS, Margery C. Carlson Nature Preserve offers opportunities for nature observation and environmental education, allowing residents and visitors to experience bluff and forest communities characteristic of the Vermilion River corridor; and

WHEREAS, The stewardship of Margery C. Carlson Nature Preserve has been supported by dedicated local partners, community members, and conservation advocates with additional support from organizations such as the Illinois Nature Preserves Commission and the Illinois Department of Natural Resources; and

WHEREAS, Over the past 50 years, Margery C. Carlson Nature Preserve has contributed to the protection of Illinois' natural heritage and serves as a valuable natural resource for the residents of LaSalle County; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE ONE HUNDRED FOURTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we congratulate the Illinois Department of Natural Resources on the 50th anniversary of the dedication of Margery C. Carlson Nature Preserve, and we commend its ongoing commitment to conservation, education, and stewardship; and be it further

RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be presented to the Illinois Department of Natural Resources as a symbol of our respect and esteem.