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R E S O L U T I O N
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WHEREAS, Over the past century, the mermaid has come to |
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represent the city of San Marcos and its special relationship to the |
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water resources of Central Texas; and |
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WHEREAS, The legendary story of the mermaid in San Marcos |
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begins with the abundant springs that every day release 100 million |
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gallons of freshwater from the Edwards Aquifer into the San Marcos |
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River; considered a sacred place by Native Americans and regarded |
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as the creation site of the Coahuiltecans, the springs have drawn |
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people to their banks for more than 11,500 years, making this area |
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what is thought to be one of the oldest continually inhabited sites |
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in North America; and |
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WHEREAS, In 1845, Edward Burleson, a former vice president of |
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the Republic of Texas, dammed the headwaters of the San Marcos, |
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thereby creating Spring Lake; over the ensuing years, the water |
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from the lake powered gristmills, sawmills, an ice factory, and an |
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electric light works; the San Marcos River also constituted an |
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important water stop along the Chisholm Trail; and |
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WHEREAS, A. B. Rogers bought the Burleson homestead in the |
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1920s and built a resort hotel on the shore of the lake; he later |
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began offering rides in glass-bottomed boats that allowed visitors |
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to see through the crystal-clear water to the bubbling springs |
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beneath; his son Paul, who succeeded him, established the Aquarena |
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Springs amusement park on the property, and in 1950 he built an |
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underwater theater, where young women known as "aquamaids" staged |
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exhibitions of synchronized swimming and underwater ballet; at the |
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peak of its popularity, the park drew up to 350,000 visitors every |
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year and was featured in Life magazine, with the submerged theater |
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making it to the cover of Popular Mechanics; in time, the show came |
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to include Glurpo, a pipe-smoking clown, and a swimming pig named |
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Ralph; and |
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WHEREAS, The performances continued until the 1990s, when |
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Texas State University acquired the park and set a new course for |
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the property; today, the site hosts the Meadows Center for Water and |
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the Environment, which conducts research and educational programs |
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focused on promoting sustainable water management and |
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environmental stewardship; the critical nature of its work is |
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underscored by the fact that the Edwards Aquifer supplies drinking |
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water to several million people and serves as the principal source |
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of water for agriculture and industry throughout the region, while |
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waters discharged by the aquifer also support recreation and |
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tourism; in addition, the aquifer system sustains over 40 highly |
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adapted species, a number of which are either threatened or |
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endangered, including five found in the San Marcos springs and a |
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stretch of river just below; and |
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WHEREAS, In 2016, the Mermaid Society of San Marcos was |
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created to foster harmony between environmental sustainability, |
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the arts, and economic growth; the society has established an |
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annual Mermaid Week, which includes a parade, the Mermaid Society |
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Art Ball, and the Mermaid SPLASH festival; moreover, the city has |
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funded mermaid-themed public art through a program supported by the |
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hotel occupancy tax; among the works underwritten by this |
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initiative are murals and a series of seven-foot-tall statues, each |
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one decorated by a different artist; and |
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WHEREAS, By adopting the mermaid as a symbol of the city, the |
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people of San Marcos are encouraging public interest in the natural |
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environment and highlighting the central role that their community |
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is playing in preserving the water resources of the Lone Star State; |
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now, therefore, be it |
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RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 86th Texas |
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Legislature hereby commend the residents of San Marcos for their |
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efforts to promote environmental stewardship and to showcase the |
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iconic mermaid that is so closely identified with the city. |