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SENATE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION
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WHEREAS, North American bison have roamed the continent for |
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some 25,000 years, with up to 60 million estimated to have covered |
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the range in the 1700s, and the land that would eventually become |
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Texas was home to many herds; and |
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WHEREAS, Also known as the American buffalo, the animals were |
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central to the livelihood of Native Americans; the Apaches of West |
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Texas, the Hainai Indians of East Texas, and numerous other tribes |
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revered the bison and depended on it for food, shelter, and |
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clothing; by the end of the 19th century, however, hunting had |
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nearly exterminated the entire species; and |
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WHEREAS, Without the visionary work of "The Father of the |
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Panhandle of Texas," Charles Goodnight, the bison may have |
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permanently disappeared from the Lone Star State; in the late |
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1870s, this noted Texas Ranger and rancher captured two buffalo |
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calves and gave them to his wife, Mary Ann, who fed and cared for |
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them at the JA Ranch; the Goodnights went on to develop a small |
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herd, which formed one of the five foundation herds in the United |
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States and helped produce the buffalo population that exists to |
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this day; descendants of the original Goodnight bison were moved to |
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Caprock Canyons State Park and are known today as the Texas State |
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Bison Herd; and |
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WHEREAS, The bison industry is a growing component of the |
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state's diverse agricultural landscape; since 2008, its |
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significance has been commemorated with the observance of Texas |
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Bison Week during the first week of May, a time that also marks the |
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beginning of calving season; and |
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WHEREAS, The iconic image of the American buffalo has long |
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been associated with wildlife preservation and Native American |
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traditions as well as the state's western heritage, as evidenced by |
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the buffalo's induction in the Texas Trail of Fame and its |
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prominence as the centerpiece of the seal of the General Land |
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Office; in the Panhandle, a bronze sculpture by Veryl Goodnight of |
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Mary Ann Goodnight bottle-feeding a buffalo calf now stands at the |
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historic JA Ranch and Armstrong County Museum as a fitting tribute |
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to the Goodnights' role in saving the southern herd from |
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extinction, and it is indeed appropriate to celebrate this rich |
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legacy in the Lone Star State each spring; now, therefore, be it |
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RESOLVED, That the 83rd Legislature of the State of Texas |
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hereby designate the first week of May each year from 2013 through |
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2022 as Texas Bison Week. |
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______________________________ |
______________________________ |
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President of the Senate |
Speaker of the House |
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I hereby certify that S.C.R. No. 20 was adopted by the Senate |
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on March 21, 2013, by the following vote: Yeas 31, Nays 0. |
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______________________________ |
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Secretary of the Senate |
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I hereby certify that S.C.R. No. 20 was adopted by the House |
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on May 14, 2013, by the following vote: Yeas 143, Nays 0, two |
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present not voting. |
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______________________________ |
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Chief Clerk of the House |
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Approved: |
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______________________________ |
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Date |
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______________________________ |
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Governor |