SENATE RESOLUTION NO. 78
WHEREAS, The Senate of the State of Texas is pleased to
recognize the State of Texas Anniversary Remembrance Day
Foundation's Texas Bison Student Study Group for its efforts to
launch the Official State Bison Herd of Texas Fund; and
WHEREAS, The State of Texas Anniversary Remembrance Day
Foundation, also known as the STAR Day Foundation, was organized
on July 31, 1998, as a nonprofit organization to carry out the
legislative intent of the STAR Day bill, S.B. 1656, Acts of the
76th Legislature, 1999, which was filed at the request of a
Galveston County seventh grade student and originally proposed
in a Texas history class paper; the foundation's mission is to
plan, develop, and conduct an appropriate and patriotic State of
Texas birthday celebration on February 19 of each year in
partnership with Texas schools and other organizations to
inspire a greater appreciation for the history of the state; and
WHEREAS, The STAR Day Foundation has since 2000 organized
and sponsored student study groups as after-school enrichment
programs to provide students with the opportunity to plan and
conduct STAR Day celebration programs at their respective schools
and to study topics related to conservation, preservation, and
restoration; and
WHEREAS, Among those study groups are the Texas Silver
Student Study Group, which was organized in the Presidio
Independent School District at Lucy Rede Franco Middle School in
2006 to explore and discover the science, technology,
engineering, and mathematical principles of mining being
implemented at the Shafter Silver Mine in Presidio County; the
study group worked to effect the designation of silver as the
official State Precious Metal of Texas during the 80th Texas
Legislature in 2007; and
WHEREAS, The Texas Bison Student Study Group was organized
at the same school on September 12, 2010, to study the history and
origin of the Texas Plains bison, especially the official State
Bison Herd of Texas at Caprock Canyons State Park; additional
goals of the group were to study the history and culture of Native
American people who hunted bison, to study and evaluate the
feasibility of the use of Texas bison meat as a component of
school lunch programs, to investigate and propose ways to raise
funds to support the conservation work of the official State
Bison Herd of Texas management team at Caprock Canyons State
Park, and to plan, develop, and conduct expeditions to visit the
state park and Texas bison ranches to see bison and experience
bison ranching firsthand; and
WHEREAS, The Texas Bison Student Study Group worked with
legislators to achieve the designation of the Goodnight Texas
Plains Bison Herd at Caprock Canyons State Park as the official
State Bison Herd of Texas during the 82nd Texas Legislature in
2011; during the 83rd Texas Legislature in 2013, the group also
successfully advocated for the designation of September 12 as
Mary Ann "Molly" Goodnight Day and March 5 as Charles Goodnight
Day to honor and recognize both individuals for leading the
effort to save the herd now known as the official State Bison Herd
of Texas; and
WHEREAS, The Official State Bison Herd of Texas Fund was
proposed by the Texas Bison Student Study Group in 2012 as a
collaborative long-term statewide fund-raising effort to
establish and maintain a permanent endowment fund whose annual
interest shall be presented as a grant by the STAR Day Foundation
on September 12 each year to the management team at Caprock
Canyons State Park to assist in their efforts to save the
official State Bison Herd of Texas as a state treasure for the
people of Texas; the fund was formally announced during the
annual Spirit of STAR Day celebration conducted on STAR Day,
February 19, 2013, in the Texas State Capitol Rotunda; and
WHEREAS, Since silver is now the official State Precious
Metal of Texas, the STAR Day Foundation is initiating an economic
development effort to create an Official State Bison Herd of
Texas Donation Coin minted from pure silver mined from the Shafter
Silver Mine in Presidio County to be offered as a donation premium to
donors supporting the Official State Bison Herd of Texas Fund; and
WHEREAS, The Official State Bison Herd of Texas Fund is
being formally launched by the STAR Day Foundation and its
volunteers on Mary Ann "Molly" Goodnight Day, September 12, 2013,
at Caprock Canyons State Park; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That the Senate of the State of Texas, 83rd
Legislature, 2nd Called Session, hereby commend the STAR Day
Foundation and congratulate the Texas Bison Student Study Group
and its volunteers on their efforts to launch the Official State
Bison Herd of Texas Fund and extend to all sincere best wishes for
success; and, be it further
RESOLVED, That a copy of this Resolution be prepared for
the Texas Bison Student Study Group and the STAR Day Foundation
as an expression of high regard from the Texas Senate.
Rodriguez
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President of the Senate
I hereby certify that the
above Resolution was adopted by
the Senate on July 25, 2013.
________________________________
Secretary of the Senate
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Member, Texas Senate