SENATE RESOLUTION NO. 78
         WHEREAS, The Senate of the State of Texas is pleased to
  recognize the State of Texas Anniversary Remembrance Day
  Foundation's Texas Bison Student Study Group for its efforts to
  launch the Official State Bison Herd of Texas Fund; and
 
         WHEREAS, The State of Texas Anniversary Remembrance Day
  Foundation, also known as the STAR Day Foundation, was organized
  on July 31, 1998, as a nonprofit organization to carry out the
  legislative intent of the STAR Day bill, S.B. 1656, Acts of the
  76th Legislature, 1999, which was filed at the request of a
  Galveston County seventh grade student and originally proposed
  in a Texas history class paper; the foundation's mission is to
  plan, develop, and conduct an appropriate and patriotic State of
  Texas birthday celebration on February 19 of each year in
  partnership with Texas schools and other organizations to
  inspire a greater appreciation for the history of the state; and
 
         WHEREAS, The STAR Day Foundation has since 2000 organized
  and sponsored student study groups as after-school enrichment
  programs to provide students with the opportunity to plan and
  conduct STAR Day celebration programs at their respective schools
  and to study topics related to conservation, preservation, and
  restoration; and
 
         WHEREAS, Among those study groups are the Texas Silver
  Student Study Group, which was organized in the Presidio
  Independent School District at Lucy Rede Franco Middle School in
  2006 to explore and discover the science, technology,
  engineering, and mathematical principles of mining being
  implemented at the Shafter Silver Mine in Presidio County; the
  study group worked to effect the designation of silver as the
  official State Precious Metal of Texas during the 80th Texas
  Legislature in 2007; and
 
         WHEREAS, The Texas Bison Student Study Group was organized
  at the same school on September 12, 2010, to study the history and
  origin of the Texas Plains bison, especially the official State
  Bison Herd of Texas at Caprock Canyons State Park; additional
  goals of the group were to study the history and culture of Native
  American people who hunted bison, to study and evaluate the
  feasibility of the use of Texas bison meat as a component of
  school lunch programs, to investigate and propose ways to raise
  funds to support the conservation work of the official State
  Bison Herd of Texas management team at Caprock Canyons State
  Park, and to plan, develop, and conduct expeditions to visit the
  state park and Texas bison ranches to see bison and experience
  bison ranching firsthand; and
 
         WHEREAS, The Texas Bison Student Study Group worked with
  legislators to achieve the designation of the Goodnight Texas
  Plains Bison Herd at Caprock Canyons State Park as the official
  State Bison Herd of Texas during the 82nd Texas Legislature in
  2011; during the 83rd Texas Legislature in 2013, the group also
  successfully advocated for the designation of September 12 as
  Mary Ann "Molly" Goodnight Day and March 5 as Charles Goodnight
  Day to honor and recognize both individuals for leading the
  effort to save the herd now known as the official State Bison Herd
  of Texas; and
 
         WHEREAS, The Official State Bison Herd of Texas Fund was
  proposed by the Texas Bison Student Study Group in 2012 as a
  collaborative long-term statewide fund-raising effort to
  establish and maintain a permanent endowment fund whose annual
  interest shall be presented as a grant by the STAR Day Foundation
  on September 12 each year to the management team at Caprock
  Canyons State Park to assist in their efforts to save the
  official State Bison Herd of Texas as a state treasure for the
  people of Texas; the fund was formally announced during the
  annual Spirit of STAR Day celebration conducted on STAR Day,
  February 19, 2013, in the Texas State Capitol Rotunda; and
 
         WHEREAS, Since silver is now the official State Precious
  Metal of Texas, the STAR Day Foundation is initiating an economic
  development effort to create an Official State Bison Herd of
  Texas Donation Coin minted from pure silver mined from the Shafter
  Silver Mine in Presidio County to be offered as a donation premium to
  donors supporting the Official State Bison Herd of Texas Fund; and
 
         WHEREAS, The Official State Bison Herd of Texas Fund is
  being formally launched by the STAR Day Foundation and its
  volunteers on Mary Ann "Molly" Goodnight Day, September 12, 2013,
  at Caprock Canyons State Park; now, therefore, be it
 
         RESOLVED, That the Senate of the State of Texas, 83rd
  Legislature, 2nd Called Session, hereby commend the STAR Day
  Foundation and congratulate the Texas Bison Student Study Group
  and its volunteers on their efforts to launch the Official State
  Bison Herd of Texas Fund and extend to all sincere best wishes for
  success; and, be it further
 
         RESOLVED, That a copy of this Resolution be prepared for
  the Texas Bison Student Study Group and the STAR Day Foundation
  as an expression of high regard from the Texas Senate.
 
  Rodriguez
   
   
   
    ________________________________ 
        President of the Senate
     
        I hereby certify that the
    above Resolution was adopted by
    the Senate on July 25, 2013.
   
   
   
    ________________________________ 
        Secretary of the Senate
   
   
   
    ________________________________ 
         Member, Texas Senate