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CONCURRENT RESOLUTION
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WHEREAS, Texas is home to a diverse population of animals, |
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and through the centuries these creatures have become important |
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touchstones for the state's human residents, serving as poignant |
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symbols of the changing seasons and as reminders of the epic beauty |
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of the natural world; and |
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WHEREAS, The residents of Lipscomb County have found special |
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significance in a member of the bird species, the turkey buzzard, |
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which each year returns to the area, heralding the coming of spring |
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as it soars once more over the wide open spaces of the Texas |
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Panhandle; and |
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WHEREAS, Also known as the turkey vulture, this distinctive |
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bird is immediately recognizable by its bald red head and the |
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two-toned coloring visible on the underside of its broad wings; the |
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buzzards migrate into Lipscomb County and other parts of the Great |
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Plains during the warmer part of the year, and their arrival is a |
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much-anticipated event, prompting residents to hold contests to |
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guess the exact date that the birds will first be sighted circling |
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overhead in the vast blue sky; and |
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WHEREAS, A timeless emblem of the region, the turkey buzzard |
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flew above the northern Texas landscape when it was traversed by the |
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Apaches, Kiowas, and Comanches, and the species maintained its |
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lofty vigil as ranchers and farmers established new lives on the |
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frontier and expansive fields of wheat spread to the horizon; the |
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German-Russian immigrants who arrived in the early 1900s paused |
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their farmwork to watch the birds sailing the air currents, as did |
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the roughnecks who helped drill the county's first oil wells in the |
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1950s; and |
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WHEREAS, Today, county residents and visitors alike continue |
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to enjoy the impressive sight of the turkey buzzards as they stand |
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atop their morning roosts with wings spread wide, drying their |
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feathers in preparation for hours of flight; at day's end, the |
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vultures again draw an audience as they glide through the twilight |
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to settle in the treetops; and |
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WHEREAS, These majestic birds, together with other abundant |
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species such as wild turkey, quail, and deer, make the county |
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popular with bird-watchers, photographers, and artists; moreover, |
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the turkey buzzard has become a beloved icon of Lipscomb County that |
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alludes to the area's rich natural and human history, and this |
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status is indeed deserving of official recognition; now, therefore, |
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be it |
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RESOLVED, That the 82nd Legislature of the State of Texas |
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hereby designate Lipscomb County as the official Turkey Buzzard |
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Capital of Texas. |