HR0964 100TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HR0964 LRB100 20965 MST 37566 r

HOUSE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of Representatives wish to congratulate Lincoln Park Zoo on the occasion of its 150th anniversary in 2018; and

WHEREAS, Lincoln Park Zoo had its beginnings in 1868 with the gift of two pairs of swans from Central Park in New York City; and

WHEREAS, Beginning in 1888, Cyrus DeVry oversaw the building of several new structures and the arrival of many new animal species, including monkeys and elephants; and

WHEREAS, Many new exhibits were built over the early part of the 20th century, including the bird house and the primate house; in 1931, the famous western lowland gorilla "Bushman" arrived; and

WHEREAS, Over the 1960s and 1970s, Lincoln Park Zoo strengthened its commitment to educating schoolchildren through a variety of programming, including the popular Zoo-to-You which brought zoo animals directly into Chicago Public School classrooms; and

WHEREAS, In 1989, Lincoln Park Zoo began its conservation and science department, which has become one of the nation's largest and most effective wildlife conservation and science programs; and

WHEREAS, In 2008, Lincoln Park Zoo developed and implemented the Urban Wildlife Institute, the nation's most comprehensive urban wildlife conservation and science program, which has now been adopted by numerous other cities throughout the U.S.; and

WHEREAS, In 2018, Lincoln Park Zoo announced one the most ambitious capital projects in its 150-year history: a complete overhaul of the Kovler Lion House; and

WHEREAS, Lincoln Park Zoo remains the nation's only privately-managed, free-admission zoo in the country; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE HUNDREDTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we congratulate Lincoln Park Zoo on its 150th anniversary in 2018, and we wish it many more successful years; and be it further

RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be presented to Lincoln Park Zoo as a symbol of our respect and esteem.