Full Text of HR0101 102nd General Assembly
HR0101 102ND GENERAL ASSEMBLY |
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| 1 | | HOUSE RESOLUTION
| 2 | | WHEREAS, The Illinois Constitution declares that it is the | 3 | | public policy of the State "to provide and maintain a | 4 | | healthful environment for the benefit of this and future | 5 | | generations"; and
| 6 | | WHEREAS, Illinois has historically demonstrated leadership | 7 | | and resolve to protect, conserve, and restore the natural | 8 | | environment, including through a network of protected areas; | 9 | | and
| 10 | | WHEREAS, There are over 130 state parks and multiple | 11 | | conservation programs in Illinois; and
| 12 | | WHEREAS, According to an estimate by the United States | 13 | | Department of Agriculture, there were approximately five | 14 | | million acres of forested land in Illinois in 2018, containing | 15 | | over two billion trees; that is an increase of over 100,000 | 16 | | acres of wooded land since 2013; of those five million acres, | 17 | | over 83% of them were owned by private land-owners; and
| 18 | | WHEREAS, The United States ranks among the top five | 19 | | countries in the world for the amount of wilderness-quality | 20 | | land and ocean it has remaining; and
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| 1 | | WHEREAS, The United States Geological Survey classifies | 2 | | over seven-hundred million acres of land, or 30% of the U.S. | 3 | | landmass, as protected; that network of protected areas is | 4 | | preserved and supported by a variety of conservation laws; and
| 5 | | WHEREAS, The United States has the conservation experience | 6 | | and traditions necessary to make great strides in the | 7 | | preservation of natural areas for future generations; and
| 8 | | WHEREAS, The United States announced that it would join | 9 | | the Trillion Trees Initiative, a global campaign to plant at | 10 | | least one trillion new trees; and
| 11 | | WHEREAS, The U.S. Senate is considering a resolution | 12 | | calling for the establishment of a national goal of conserving | 13 | | at least 30% of U.S. lands and oceans by 2030; and
| 14 | | WHEREAS, Congressional leaders of both major parties have | 15 | | implemented legislation to protect the United States' rich | 16 | | natural heritage; and
| 17 | | WHEREAS, Despite these accomplishments, there are over | 18 | | 1,300 threatened or endangered species in the United States | 19 | | according to the federal Environmental Protection Agency; a | 20 | | study published in the journal Science found that the bird | 21 | | populations in the United States and Canada have declined by |
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| 1 | | three billion since 1970; and
| 2 | | WHEREAS, Young people are taking the lead in the effort to | 3 | | conserve Illinois' environmental resources; the students of | 4 | | Pontiac Township High School raised $100,000 and launched | 5 | | Operation Endangered Species to restore endangered species to | 6 | | their historical habitats; and
| 7 | | WHEREAS, Through the Operation Endangered Species program, | 8 | | these students have performed research, secured habitat, | 9 | | informed citizens, and empowered youth to take action; and
| 10 | | WHEREAS, Operation Endangered Species fostered cooperation | 11 | | between the students of Pontiac Township High School and the | 12 | | Illinois Department of Natural Resources, resulting in the | 13 | | reintroduction of the Alligator Snapping Turtle back into its | 14 | | natural habitat; therefore, be it
| 15 | | RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE | 16 | | HUNDRED SECOND GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that | 17 | | the State should redouble its efforts to work with the federal | 18 | | government, local governments, the private sector, civil | 19 | | society, schools, students, farmers, ranchers, fishing | 20 | | communities, and sportsmen to conserve the land, rivers, and | 21 | | lakes of Illinois for present and future generations to enjoy, | 22 | | taking into account a wide range of flexible and enduring |
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| 1 | | conservation solutions that will improve access to nature for | 2 | | all people within Illinois, especially for communities that | 3 | | have historically lacked access to natural spaces; and be it | 4 | | further
| 5 | | RESOLVED, That the State should pursue this goal in a way | 6 | | that protects private property rights and traditional land | 7 | | uses and enables landowners to pass down the working land of | 8 | | those landowners to the next generation; and be it further
| 9 | | RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be | 10 | | delivered to the students of Pontiac Township High School, | 11 | | Lemont High School, and Whitney M. Young Magnet High School.
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