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R E S O L U T I O N
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WHEREAS, Two staff members at Big Bend National Park, Deb |
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Manley and Cathy Hoyt, have captivated the botanical world with |
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their discovery of a new plant species, the "wooly devil"; and |
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WHEREAS, Ms. Manley, a volunteer in the park's botany |
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program, and Ms. Hoyt, a supervisory interpretive park ranger, |
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first encountered the plant while on a hike in the park's |
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backcountry in March 2024; nestled among the desert rocks, the |
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plant featured fuzzy foliage and narrow, maroon-colored petals that |
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were unlike any species they had seen before; the discovery |
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elicited tremendous interest among botanists, and park staff were |
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eventually joined by representatives from California Academy of |
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Sciences, Sul Ross State University, and Centro Interdisciplinario |
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de Investigación para el Desarrollo Integral Regional in studying |
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and classifying the species; and |
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WHEREAS, Researchers dubbed the plant the "wooly devil" in |
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reference to its hairy leaves and hornlike florets, and it was |
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designated with the official name Ovicula biradiata in a new genus |
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within the daisy family; diminutive in size, the wooly devil ranges |
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from half an inch to three inches across, and it has been identified |
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in just three small sections in Big Bend's portion of the Chihuahuan |
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Desert; as an annual plant that blooms after desert rains, it has |
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likely struggled to survive in the midst of prolonged droughts in |
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its habitat, making its discovery all the more remarkable to the |
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scientific community; and |
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WHEREAS, Uncovering not only a new species but an entirely |
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new plant genus is a rare and exciting scientific breakthrough, and |
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Deb Manley and Cathy Hoyt may indeed take pride in the role they |
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played in bringing this tiny marvel to light and furthering the |
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study of the fascinating biodiversity found within Big Bend |
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National Park; now, therefore, be it |
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RESOLVED, That the Senate of the 89th Texas Legislature |
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hereby commemorate the discovery of a new plant species at Big Bend |
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National Park and commend Deb Manley and Cathy Hoyt for their vital |
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contribution to this undertaking. |