By:  Kubiak                                            H.R. No. 584
       73R9259 JLZ-D
                                  R E S O L U T I O N
    1-1        WHEREAS, Toni Lundgren recently received well-deserved public
    1-2  recognition for her outstanding efforts to preserve and protect one
    1-3  of the community's most valuable natural resources when she was
    1-4  presented with the Governor's Award in Environmental Excellence;
    1-5  and
    1-6        WHEREAS, The principal force behind the Cameron Independent
    1-7  School District's highly acclaimed Classroom on the Creek water
    1-8  monitoring program, Ms. Lundgren is indeed a worthy recipient of
    1-9  this prestigious award, whose purpose is to recognize individuals
   1-10  and organizations who have made significant contributions in the
   1-11  field of public environmental education; and
   1-12        WHEREAS, The Classroom on the Creek program, which earned the
   1-13  Cameron school district commendation from the Texas Water
   1-14  Commission when the agency selected the district as a partner in
   1-15  the statewide Clean Texas 2000 campaign, is the culmination of a
   1-16  process that began in 1989 when Ms. Lundgren became involved in one
   1-17  of her son's science projects; and
   1-18        WHEREAS, Through her interest in her son's project on water
   1-19  quality, she became aware of Texas Watch, a volunteer water
   1-20  monitoring project; she immediately joined the statewide group's
   1-21  efforts and began monitoring the water quality at a nearby spot on
   1-22  Big Elm Creek; and
   1-23        WHEREAS, In February 1992, she hit upon the idea of expanding
   1-24  the program and bringing it into the community's schools, where
    2-1  eager and curious young people could become more actively involved
    2-2  and enjoy fun, practical, hands-on experience and apply to real
    2-3  life situations lessons learned in the classroom; and
    2-4        WHEREAS, Presenting her idea to the school superintendent and
    2-5  then to the high school biology and chemistry teachers, she
    2-6  received an enthusiastic response and, with their support and
    2-7  encouragement, she applied to the federal Environmental Protection
    2-8  Agency for a grant to develop and implement the idea; and
    2-9        WHEREAS, Money from the grant, which was awarded in July
   2-10  1992, was used to purchase water-quality kits and to provide
   2-11  training for the teachers who would make the Classroom on the Creek
   2-12  a reality; further assistance was provided by the school district,
   2-13  which contributed $10,000 worth of equipment and services, and the
   2-14  Brazos River Authority, which helped with the necessary teacher
   2-15  training; and
   2-16        WHEREAS, Meeting with immediate success when it began in
   2-17  January 1993, with more than two dozen school districts along the
   2-18  Little River watershed participating in the program, Ms. Lundgren's
   2-19  project already has achieved statewide recognition as one of the
   2-20  state's most innovative environmental programs; and
   2-21        WHEREAS, So successful has the program been that plans are
   2-22  being made to expand the project to include schools and communities
   2-23  throughout the watershed, an area that encompasses about 50 school
   2-24  districts between Milam and Eastland counties; and
   2-25        WHEREAS, Beyond the benefits to be derived from allowing
   2-26  students the opportunity to gain firsthand knowledge about the
   2-27  world around them, the program offers many long-term benefits to
    3-1  the people of this state by increasing our general awareness of our
    3-2  precious natural heritage and of the wide-ranging impact of our
    3-3  actions on a delicately balanced ecosystem where the fate of all
    3-4  living beings is inextricably interconnected; and
    3-5        WHEREAS, Ms. Lundgren is truly deserving of special
    3-6  recognition for her role in helping to spread this vitally
    3-7  important message and to educate the public about the necessity of
    3-8  managing our natural resources wisely and with the utmost care;
    3-9  now, therefore, be it
   3-10        RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 73rd Texas
   3-11  Legislature hereby congratulate Toni Lundgren on her selection as a
   3-12  recipient of the Governor's Award in Environmental Excellence and
   3-13  commend her for the outstanding efforts that earned her this great
   3-14  honor; and, be it further
   3-15        RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be
   3-16  prepared for Ms. Lundgren as an expression of high esteem by the
   3-17  Texas House of Representatives.