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| 1 | HOUSE RESOLUTION
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| 2 | WHEREAS, One hundred and seventeen years ago, Riverdale, | ||||||
| 3 | the "Best Little Village In Illinois", was formed; the village | ||||||
| 4 | is located 23 miles south of the Chicago Loop and is separated | ||||||
| 5 | by the Calumet River and the south side of Chicago; and
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| 6 | WHEREAS, The Village of Riverdale is home to the State's | ||||||
| 7 | largest butternut tree (Juglans cinerea); the tree is | ||||||
| 8 | documented to be 360-plus years old by the Illinois Department | ||||||
| 9 | of Natural Resources Forestry Division; and
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| 10 | WHEREAS, Notable and outstanding characteristics of | ||||||
| 11 | Riverdale's urban forest is a unique diversity of Southern | ||||||
| 12 | trees, which are not common in the Chicago area, including | ||||||
| 13 | Shumard Oak (Quercus Shumardii), Sweet gum (Liquidambar | ||||||
| 14 | Slyraciflua), Cumber Tree (Magnolia acuminata), Flowering | ||||||
| 15 | Dogwood (Cornus flordia), and White Basswood (Tilia | ||||||
| 16 | hererophylla); the village also has outstanding fall color | ||||||
| 17 | displayed on major streets by Sugar Maple (Acer saccharin), Red | ||||||
| 18 | Maple (Acer rubrum), White Ash (Fraxinus americana) and Sweet | ||||||
| 19 | gum (Liquidamber styraciflua), as well as a rare bird migration | ||||||
| 20 | through the urban forest of the east Ivanhoe section; all of | ||||||
| 21 | this activity is packed into a village with a residential | ||||||
| 22 | population of 16,050; and
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| 1 | WHEREAS, The Village of Riverdale Board of Trustees created | ||||||
| 2 | a Riverdale Tree Commission in 2002, composed of volunteer | ||||||
| 3 | residents and an arborist; the commission's purpose is to | ||||||
| 4 | design and implement the Village Tree Program and conduct | ||||||
| 5 | community-wide educational efforts to publicize the benefits | ||||||
| 6 | of trees; and
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| 7 | WHEREAS, The National Arbor Day Foundation recognizes the | ||||||
| 8 | Village of Riverdale as a "Tree City USA" Community, honoring | ||||||
| 9 | the commitment of the village to a comprehensive community | ||||||
| 10 | forestry program; and
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| 11 | WHEREAS, The majestic urban forest cools the air, provides | ||||||
| 12 | oxygen, shades homes and outdoor activities from the sun, | ||||||
| 13 | invites song birds into backyards and gardens, lines streets | ||||||
| 14 | where the trees reach a height of 100 feet and over three feet | ||||||
| 15 | in diameter, muffles noise, protects the soil, improves air | ||||||
| 16 | quality, provides beauty, and serves as a windbreak; therefore, | ||||||
| 17 | be it
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| 18 | RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE | ||||||
| 19 | NINETY-SIXTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we | ||||||
| 20 | support the Village of Riverdale Tree Commission's continued | ||||||
| 21 | active participation in shaping Riverdale, the "Best Little | ||||||
| 22 | Village In Illinois", into a "Green" community; and be it | ||||||
| 23 | further
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| 1 | RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be | ||||||
| 2 | presented to Riverdale Mayor Zenovia G. Evans as a symbol of | ||||||
| 3 | our esteem and respect.
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