SENATE RESOLUTION NO. 1068

	WHEREAS, The City of Mineola is developing the Mineola 
Preserve on the Sabine River to protect and enhance a richly 
diverse natural area; and

	WHEREAS, Containing 2,921 acres, the preserve offers an 
unusual opportunity for birders to view, within the boundaries

of one site, the avian fauna of several different East Texas 
ecotypes; visitors to the Mineola Preserve can wander through

a patchwork landscape composed of uplands, lowland pastures, 
young bottomland and mature bottomland forests, and successional 
woodlands; and

	WHEREAS, This wide range of habitat and vegetation types is 
capable of attracting as many as 218 different species of birds; 
to date, the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department has verified the 
occurrence of 75 species, and it is continuing verification work 
at the site to develop a comprehensive listing; and

	WHEREAS, Among the native or migratory species present at 
the preserve may be some that are now considered to be "threatened";
one such species is the swallow-tailed kite, a bird listed by the 
Texas Parks and Wildlife Department as threatened in Texas and a 
species of concern for bird initiatives in the Lower Mississippi 
Valley Joint Venture; swallow-tailed kites have been observed at 
the nearby Old Sabine Bottom Wildlife Management Area, making it 
highly likely that they can be sighted in the Mineola Preserve; 
and

	WHEREAS, A master plan for conserving and promoting the area 
is in development by several governmental and nongovernmental 
organizations, including Ducks Unlimited and the Audubon Society; 
and

	WHEREAS, In order to make the tract and its treasures 
accessible to the public, amenities will include a variety of 
trails and a number of wildlife viewing stations; complementing 
the gravel trails will be a two-mile-long, all-weather path along 
a raised, abandoned railroad bed, which traverses each of the 
preserve's ecotypes; discussion is also underway regarding the 
possibility of establishing an Audubon Center at the site; and

	WHEREAS, The Mineola Preserve has been nominated for 
inclusion on the new Prairies and Pineywoods Wildlife Trail; a 
project of the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, the trail is 
designed to help travelers find the best wildlife-viewing sites 
in North and East Texas; and

	WHEREAS, Affording ample opportunities for recreation, 
inspiration, and research to all who cherish the out-of-doors, 
the Mineola Preserve constitutes an exceptionally valuable asset 
to birders, and the City of Mineola is committed to protecting 
this property for the education and enjoyment of all Texans and 
visitors to the Lone Star State; now, therefore, be it

	RESOLVED, That the Senate of the State of Texas,                             

78th Legislature, hereby recognize Mineola as the Birding 
Capital of East Texas.
                                                                         Ratliff




________________________________ 
    President of the Senate
 
    I hereby certify that the 
above Resolution was adopted by 
the Senate on June 2, 2003.



________________________________ 
    Secretary of the Senate



________________________________ 
     Member, Texas Senate