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CONCURRENT RESOLUTION
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WHEREAS, The purple martin is one of this country's |
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best-loved songbirds, and the city of Grand Prairie has become a |
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leading center for purple martin conservation in the Lone Star |
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State; and |
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WHEREAS, A member of the swallow family, purple martins are |
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admired for their iridescent blue-black coloring, their pleasant |
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song, and their graceful aerial acrobatics; they feed on insects, |
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catching all of their food in flight, and drink by skimming the |
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surface of a pond and scooping up water with their lower bills; and |
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WHEREAS, Purple martins fly north in the spring to breed in |
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Mexico, the United States, and Canada; after their young are |
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hatched and fledged, a process that takes approximately 70 days, |
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the birds migrate south again to their winter range in the lowlands |
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east of the Andes; and |
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WHEREAS, In the western part of North America, purple martins |
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still nest in natural cavities in trees, cliff faces, and the like, |
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but east of the Rocky Mountains, for more than a century now the |
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bird has nested almost exclusively in artificial housing supplied |
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by humans; Native Americans have been hanging hollowed-out gourds |
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to accommodate the birds for hundreds, if not thousands, of years, |
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and today it is estimated that more than a million "landlords" put |
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up housing for purple martins, who typically return to their last |
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successful homesite; and |
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WHEREAS, Since the founding of the Purple Martin Landlords of |
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North Texas in 1999, members have supported research concerning |
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these birds and have worked to educate area citizens about their |
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needs; based in Grand Prairie, the club has further promoted the |
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construction of purple martin housing in various public locations |
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around the city, including the municipal golf course, Safe Side |
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City Park, and the Kirby Creek Park Natural Science Education |
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Center, as well as at Loyd Park on Joe Pool Lake; and |
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WHEREAS, Purple martins also feature prominently in public |
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art around Grand Prairie, notably in murals at Johnny Stanton |
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Garden and at the intersection of I-30 and Beltline Road; in |
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addition, a pair of purple martins dominate the bas-relief design |
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that appears on the section of State Highway 161 that is now being |
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constructed through the city; and |
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WHEREAS, Each year, the mayor and city council of Grand |
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Prairie proclaim Purple Martin Day to raise public awareness and |
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encourage support for the perpetuation of that species; and |
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WHEREAS, Grand Prairie residents have demonstrated a special |
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affinity for purple martins and devoted considerable time and |
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resources to help them flourish; thanks to these landlords' keen |
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interest and energetic efforts, springtime in their city now |
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heralds the return of large numbers of this shimmering bird, whose |
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distinctive song and aerial displays have become a source of |
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immense delight to countless observers; now, therefore, be it |
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RESOLVED, That the 80th Legislature of the State of Texas |
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hereby designate Grand Prairie as the official Purple Martin |
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Capital of North Texas. |