Full Text of SR1008 101st General Assembly
SR1008 101ST GENERAL ASSEMBLY |
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| 1 | | SENATE RESOLUTION
| 2 | | WHEREAS, The Illinois Constitution declares that it is the | 3 | | public policy of the State "to provide and maintain a healthful | 4 | | environment for the benefit of this and future generations"; | 5 | | 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 the | 9 | | Trillion Trees Initiative, a global campaign to plant at least | 10 | | 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 SENATE OF THE ONE HUNDRED FIRST GENERAL | 16 | | ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that the State should | 17 | | redouble its efforts to work with the federal government, local | 18 | | governments, the private sector, civil society, schools, | 19 | | students, farmers, ranchers, fishing communities, and | 20 | | sportsmen to conserve the land, rivers, and lakes of Illinois | 21 | | for present and future generations to enjoy, taking into | 22 | | account a wide range of flexible and enduring conservation |
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| 1 | | solutions that will improve access to nature for all people | 2 | | within Illinois, especially for communities that that have | 3 | | historically lacked access to natural spaces; and be it further
| 4 | | RESOLVED, That the State should pursue this goal in a way | 5 | | that protects private property rights and traditional land uses | 6 | | and enables landowners to pass down the working land of those | 7 | | landowners to the next generation; and be it further
| 8 | | RESOLVED, That a copy of this resolution be delivered to | 9 | | the students of Pontiac Township High School, Lemont High | 10 | | School, and Whitney M. Young Magnet High School.
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