| 2 | 3 | | |
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| 3 | 4 | | |
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| 4 | 5 | | R E S O L U T I O N |
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| 5 | 6 | | WHEREAS, Dr. Richardson B. Gill, Christopher Gill, Reeda |
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| 6 | 7 | | Peel, and Javier Vasquez have undertaken an important study on the |
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| 7 | 8 | | natural history of elk herds in the Lone Star State; and |
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| 8 | 9 | | WHEREAS, A co-owner of Circle Ranch in the Sierra Diablo |
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| 9 | 10 | | mountains, Chris Gill is committed to restoring native wildlife and |
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| 10 | 11 | | habitat; he wanted to examine the question of whether elk were |
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| 11 | 12 | | indigenous to areas of Texas beyond the Guadalupe Mountains, and to |
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| 12 | 13 | | that end, he joined forces with his brother Richardson Gill, an |
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| 13 | 14 | | anthropologist, and archeologists Reeda Peel and Javier Vasquez; |
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| 14 | 15 | | and |
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| 15 | 16 | | WHEREAS, The team evaluated a variety of evidence, including |
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| 16 | 17 | | geographic clues in the form of place names; through radiocarbon |
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| 17 | 18 | | dating, they traced elk bones, antlers, and fossilized dung to the |
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| 18 | 19 | | dawn of the 17th century; they delved into historical accounts, |
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| 19 | 20 | | finding that the earliest documented sighting of elk in Texas |
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| 20 | 21 | | occurred in 1601; in addition, they examined the visual record left |
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| 21 | 22 | | by artists, who depicted elk on cave and canyon walls some 2,000 to |
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| 22 | 23 | | 4,000 years ago; in their report, titled "Are Elk Native to Texas?" |
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| 23 | 24 | | the group detailed its findings, which document the widespread |
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| 24 | 25 | | presence of elk in Texas centuries ago, from the Panhandle to the |
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| 25 | 26 | | Rio Grande; and |
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| 26 | 27 | | WHEREAS, Through their extensive research, these |
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| 27 | 28 | | investigators have established that the majestic elk, now confined |
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| 28 | 29 | | to mountain ranges in the Trans-Pecos, once ranged across much of |
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| 29 | 30 | | what would become the Lone Star State; their work makes a valuable |
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| 30 | 31 | | contribution to scientific knowledge and provides information that |
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| 31 | 32 | | is important to the future management of this valuable species; |
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| 32 | 33 | | now, therefore, be it |
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| 33 | 34 | | RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 84th Texas |
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| 34 | 35 | | Legislature hereby commend Dr. Richardson B. Gill, Christopher |
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| 35 | 36 | | Gill, Reeda Peel, and Javier Vasquez for their research on the |
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| 36 | 37 | | natural history of elk in Texas and extend to them sincere |
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| 37 | 38 | | appreciation for their dedication to wildlife stewardship; and, be |
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| 38 | 39 | | it further |
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| 39 | 40 | | RESOLVED, That official copies of this resolution be prepared |
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| 40 | 41 | | for the researchers as an expression of high regard by the Texas |
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| 41 | 42 | | House of Representatives. |
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