H.C.R. No. 31

	HOUSE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION
	WHEREAS, The State of Texas traditionally has recognized a
	variety of official symbols as tangible representations of the
	proud character and colorful heritage of the Lone Star State; and
	WHEREAS, Select members of the animal kingdom, including the
	longhorn, the armadillo, and the Texas horned lizard, are among the
	species that have been formally recognized, and their designation
	has served to draw attention to the great biological diversity of
	the state's landscape and to highlight creatures who are unique to
	or closely identified with the state; and
	WHEREAS, An especially rich natural environment is found
	along the Texas Gulf Coast, and of the many distinctive species
	found in that region, the Kemp's ridley sea turtle (Lepidochelys
	kempii) is particularly deserving of recognition; and
	WHEREAS, Identifiable by its nearly circular upper shell, the
	Kemp's ridley makes its home primarily in the Gulf of Mexico, though
	it is also found in the Atlantic Ocean; after hatching, the male
	turtles spend their entire lives at sea; the females come ashore
	only to lay eggs, and they do so in large, synchronized groups, an
	extraordinary phenomenon known in Spanish as arribada, meaning
	"arrival"; while they are the smallest of the eight types of sea
	turtles in the world, they can still weigh up to 100 pounds and grow
	to 2.5 feet in length; and
	WHEREAS, This remarkable creature is part of an inspiring
	conservation success story; following an alarming population
	decline that began in the 1940s, the Kemp's ridley teetered on the
	brink of extinction and was placed on the Endangered Species List in
	1970; it has made a heroic recovery, however, as a result of a
	collaborative protection program begun in 1978 by the United States
	and Mexico; this initiative has helped implement the use of turtle
	excluder devices by the commercial shrimp fleet, which allow sea
	turtles to escape the trawling nets that were causing large numbers
	of deaths; another important development has been the establishment
	of a secondary nesting colony at Padre Island National Seashore in
	Texas, which supplements the main nesting site in Mexico; as of
	2012, more than 100 turtle nests were identified at the national
	seashore, with another 100 in other Texas coastal areas; and
	WHEREAS, A number of organizations and universities in the
	state have taken part in the campaign to safeguard the turtles, with
	Texas A&M University at Galveston, The University of Texas Marine
	Science Institute, and the National Marine Fisheries Service being
	central players in the initiative; and
	WHEREAS, Once the most imperiled of all sea turtles, the
	Kemp's ridley is today becoming a more common resident of the Gulf
	Coast waters; its comeback is a testament to its resilience and to
	the admirable work of those Texans who have aided its recovery, and
	this noble animal is indeed a fitting symbol of the Lone Star State;
	now, therefore, be it
	RESOLVED, That the 83rd Legislature of the State of Texas
	hereby designate the Kemp's ridley sea turtle as the official State
	Sea Turtle of Texas.
	Eiland
	______________________________	______________________________
	President of the Senate	Speaker of the House
	I certify that H.C.R. No. 31 was adopted by the House on April
	11, 2013, by the following vote:  Yeas 141, Nays 3, 2 present, not
	voting.
	______________________________
	Chief Clerk of the House
	I certify that H.C.R. No. 31 was adopted by the Senate on May
	2, 2013, by the following vote:  Yeas 31, Nays 0.
	______________________________
	Secretary of the Senate
	APPROVED: __________________
	Date
	__________________
	Governor