By: Eiland (Senate Sponsor - Taylor) H.C.R. No. 31
(In the Senate - Received from the House April 11, 2013;
April 18, 2013, read first time and referred to Committee on
Administration; April 29, 2013, reported favorably by the
following vote: Yeas 6, Nays 0; April 29, 2013, sent to printer.)
HOUSE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION
WHEREAS, The State of Texas traditionally has recognized a
variety of official symbols as tangible representations of the
proud character and colorful heritage of the Lone Star State; and
WHEREAS, Select members of the animal kingdom, including the
longhorn, the armadillo, and the Texas horned lizard, are among the
species that have been formally recognized, and their designation
has served to draw attention to the great biological diversity of
the state's landscape and to highlight creatures who are unique to
or closely identified with the state; and
WHEREAS, An especially rich natural environment is found
along the Texas Gulf Coast, and of the many distinctive species
found in that region, the Kemp's ridley sea turtle (Lepidochelys
kempii) is particularly deserving of recognition; and
WHEREAS, Identifiable by its nearly circular upper shell, the
Kemp's ridley makes its home primarily in the Gulf of Mexico, though
it is also found in the Atlantic Ocean; after hatching, the male
turtles spend their entire lives at sea; the females come ashore
only to lay eggs, and they do so in large, synchronized groups, an
extraordinary phenomenon known in Spanish as arribada, meaning
"arrival"; while they are the smallest of the eight types of sea
turtles in the world, they can still weigh up to 100 pounds and grow
to 2.5 feet in length; and
WHEREAS, This remarkable creature is part of an inspiring
conservation success story; following an alarming population
decline that began in the 1940s, the Kemp's ridley teetered on the
brink of extinction and was placed on the Endangered Species List in
1970; it has made a heroic recovery, however, as a result of a
collaborative protection program begun in 1978 by the United States
and Mexico; this initiative has helped implement the use of turtle
excluder devices by the commercial shrimp fleet, which allow sea
turtles to escape the trawling nets that were causing large numbers
of deaths; another important development has been the establishment
of a secondary nesting colony at Padre Island National Seashore in
Texas, which supplements the main nesting site in Mexico; as of
2012, more than 100 turtle nests were identified at the national
seashore, with another 100 in other Texas coastal areas; and
WHEREAS, A number of organizations and universities in the
state have taken part in the campaign to safeguard the turtles, with
Texas A&M University at Galveston, The University of Texas Marine
Science Institute, and the National Marine Fisheries Service being
central players in the initiative; and
WHEREAS, Once the most imperiled of all sea turtles, the
Kemp's ridley is today becoming a more common resident of the Gulf
Coast waters; its comeback is a testament to its resilience and to
the admirable work of those Texans who have aided its recovery, and
this noble animal is indeed a fitting symbol of the Lone Star State;
now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That the 83rd Legislature of the State of Texas
hereby designate the Kemp's ridley sea turtle as the official State
Sea Turtle of Texas.
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