HJR 4 (LSB 1253YH (1) 88)

HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION 4

BY  MASCHER

HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION

A Joint Resolution recognizing the fossil crinoid as the state fossil.

   WHEREAS, the study of fossils contained in sedimentary rock formations in the state provides geologists with evidence of the geological and paleontological history of the state; and
   WHEREAS, fossils of crinoids, marine invertebrates that live in all depths and temperatures, are abundant in the rock of marine origin underlying the state, including significant deposits in the cities of Burlington, Le Grand, and Gilmore City; and
   WHEREAS, the crinoid has survived approximately 500 million years of earth history and remains an active part of the world’s ocean life; and
   WHEREAS, crinoid skeletal fragments make up a significant portion of the limestone deposits of Iowa, providing Iowa industry with the limestone used for road base, as agricultural lime, as building stone, and as the raw material for cement including “portland cement”, which is used to form the most widely used type of construction cement; and
   WHEREAS, in addition to the economic benefits resulting from the presence of fossil crinoids, the crinoid has also brought recognition to the state and to citizens of the state as the result of the research of both professionals and amateurs; and
   WHEREAS, three of these researchers have received recognition in the global scientific community for their efforts: Charles Wachsmuth (1829-1896), a German immigrant who settled at Burlington and who, due to his collecting, research, and writings regarding the crinoid, received an appointment to the Museum of Comparative Zoology at Harvard University; Frank Springer (1848-1927) who, as an attorney practicing in Burlington, became a friend and coworker of Charles Wachsmuth with whom he produced many texts on crinoids and for whom a room at the Smithsonian Institution is named; and Bernice H. Bean (1879-1966) who, as a farmer near Le Grand, collected, studied, and wrote about crinoids, saving thousands of perfectly preserved fossil crinoids from destruction, thereby providing universities and museums across the nation with exhibits of these specimens, including a past exhibit at the State Historical Building; and
   WHEREAS, pictures of crinoids found in Iowa have been featured on the covers of scholarly journals and magazines; and
   WHEREAS, members of the paleontology community have referred to the city of Burlington as “the crinoid capital of the world”; and
   WHEREAS, the fossil crinoid, also referred to as the sea lily, is a symbol of the state’s geological and paleontological heritage, has provided economic benefits to the state as a source of limestone, and is recognized for its completeness and beauty worldwide; NOW THEREFORE,
BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF IOWA:

    Section 1.
  STATE FOSSIL DESIGNATION.
  The fossil crinoid shall officially be designated as the state fossil of Iowa.
    Sec. 2.
  OFFICIAL REGISTER.
  The edition of the Iowa official register shall include an appropriate illustration of the fossil crinoid, accompanied by suitable text in the section devoted to the state flower, state bird, state rock, and state tree.
EXPLANATION
The inclusion of this explanation does not constitute agreement with
the explanation’s substance by the members of the general assembly.
   This joint resolution proposes the official designation of the fossil crinoid as the state fossil. The resolution describes the way in which the fossil crinoid has benefited the state, including the fossil’s economic and aesthetic benefits. The Iowa official register shall include an appropriate illustration of the fossil crinoid accompanied by suitable text in the section devoted to the state’s official symbols.