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SENATE RESOLUTION NO. 209
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WHEREAS, Proud residents of Aransas County are gathering |
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in Austin to celebrate Aransas County Day at the State Capitol on |
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February 23, 2017; and |
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WHEREAS, This region of thousand-year-old oaks, coastal |
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prairie, and sandy beaches was first inhabited by native peoples |
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8,000 years ago; and |
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WHEREAS, In 1828, the Mexican government awarded an |
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empresario grant to bring in settlers from Ireland and Mexico, |
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and not long after the Civil War, in the mid-1860s, the towns of |
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Fulton and Rockport were founded as ports for the cattle |
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business; Aransas County was formed in 1871 and named after a |
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Spanish palace; and |
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WHEREAS, Aransas County is the gateway to the nearly |
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115,000-acre Aransas National Wildlife Refuge, where the amazing |
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whooping cranes spend the winter, and Goose Island State Park, |
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which has between 150,000 and 200,000 visitors annually; and |
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WHEREAS, Rockport and Fulton Harbors are the home ports of |
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many popular boating excursions for birders, dolphin watchers, |
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and devotees of deep-sea and bay fishing, while the beautifully |
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lit Fulton Harbor Pier and 8,690-foot-long Copano Bay Pier offer |
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first-rate opportunities for angling; and |
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WHEREAS, The county's history is evoked by the 19th century |
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Fulton Mansion and the 1870s Victorian-style Aransas County |
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History Center, while the official Texas Maritime Museum in |
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Rockport celebrates the marine heritage of the Lone Star State; |
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the Rockport Center for the Arts is a hub for the region's |
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thriving cultural scene, which includes such festive annual |
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events as the Bountiful Bowl Pottery Fair, the Fulton Oysterfest, |
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the Rockport Film Festival, the HummerBird Celebration, LaMardi |
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Gras, and the annual Rockport Festival of Wines; and |
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WHEREAS, Blessed with more magnificent bays than land, |
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more redfish and trout than cars, and a chamber of commerce |
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with a five-star rating, Aransas County is one of the treasures |
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of the Lone Star State, and its citizens may indeed take great |
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pride in their heritage and look forward to a future filled with |
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opportunity and good times; now, therefore, be it |
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RESOLVED, That the Senate of the State of Texas, 85th |
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Legislature, hereby recognize February 23, 2017, as Aransas |
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County Day at the State Capitol and extend to the visiting |
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delegation sincere best wishes for a memorable and meaningful |
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visit to Austin. |
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Kolkhorst |
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________________________________ |
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President of the Senate |
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I hereby certify that the |
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above Resolution was adopted by |
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the Senate on February 15, 2017. |
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________________________________ |
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Secretary of the Senate |
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________________________________ |
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Member, Texas Senate |