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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
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| 5 | WHEREAS, The Village of Riverdale is home to the State's | ||||||
| 6 | largest butternut tree (Juglans cinerea), the official tree of | ||||||
| 7 | Riverdale; and
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| 8 | WHEREAS, Notable and outstanding characteristics of | ||||||
| 9 | Riverdale's urban forest are a unique diversity of Southern | ||||||
| 10 | trees, which are common in the Chicago area, including Shumard | ||||||
| 11 | Oaks (Quercus Shumardii), Sweet gums (Liquidambar Styracflua), | ||||||
| 12 | Cumber Trees (Magnolia acuminata), Flowering Dogwoods (Cornus | ||||||
| 13 | florida), and White Basswoods (Tilia hereophylla); the village | ||||||
| 14 | also has outstanding fall color displayed on major streets by | ||||||
| 15 | Sugar Maples (Acer saccharinum), Red Maples (Acer rubrum), | ||||||
| 16 | White Ashes (Fraxinus Americana), and Sweet gums (Liquidamber | ||||||
| 17 | styraciflua), as well as a rare bird migration through the | ||||||
| 18 | urban forest of the east Ivanhoe section; all of this activity | ||||||
| 19 | is packed into a village with a residential population of | ||||||
| 20 | 16,050; and
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| 21 | WHEREAS, The Village of Riverdale's Board of Trustees | ||||||
| 22 | created a Riverdale Tree Commission in 2002, composed of | ||||||
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| 1 | volunteer residents and an arborist; the commission's purpose | ||||||
| 2 | is to design and implement the Village Tree Program and conduct | ||||||
| 3 | community-wide educational efforts to publicize the benefits | ||||||
| 4 | of trees; and
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| 5 | WHEREAS, The National Arbor Day Foundation has recognized | ||||||
| 6 | the Village of Riverdale as a "Tree City USA" community for 11 | ||||||
| 7 | years, honoring the commitment of the village to provide a | ||||||
| 8 | comprehensive community forestry program; and
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| 9 | WHEREAS, The majestic urban forest cools the air, provides | ||||||
| 10 | oxygen, shades homes and outdoor activities from the sun, | ||||||
| 11 | invites song birds into backyards and gardens, lines streets | ||||||
| 12 | (where the trees reach a height of 100 feet and are over 3 feet | ||||||
| 13 | wide), muffles noise, protects the soil, improves air quality, | ||||||
| 14 | provides beauty, and serve as a windbreak; therefore, be it
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| 15 | RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE | ||||||
| 16 | NINETY-SEVENTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that | ||||||
| 17 | we support the Village of Riverdale Tree Commission's continued | ||||||
| 18 | active participation in shaping Riverdale, the "Best Little | ||||||
| 19 | Village In Illinois", into a "Green" community; and be it | ||||||
| 20 | further
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| 21 | RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be | ||||||
| 22 | presented to the Riverdale Tree Commission as a symbol of our | ||||||
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| 1 | esteem and respect.
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