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PAG LIN
1 1 HOUSE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION NO.
1 2 BY VANDE HOEF
1 3 A Concurrent Resolution recognizing the importance
1 4 of the fossil crinoid.
1 5 WHEREAS, the study of fossils contained in
1 6 sedimentary rock formations in the state provides
1 7 geologists with evidence of the geological and
1 8 paleontological history of the state; and
1 9 WHEREAS, fossils of crinoids, marine invertebrates
1 10 which live in all depths and temperatures, are
1 11 abundant in the rock of marine origin underlying the
1 12 state, including significant deposits in the cities of
1 13 Burlington, Le Grand, and Gilmore City; and
1 14 WHEREAS, the crinoid has survived 475 million years
1 15 of earth history and remains an active part of the
1 16 world's ocean life; and
1 17 WHEREAS, crinoid skeletal fragments make up a
1 18 significant portion of the limestone deposits of Iowa,
1 19 providing Iowa industry with the limestone used for
1 20 road base, as agricultural lime, as building stone,
1 21 and as the raw material for cement including "portland
1 22 cement," which is used to form the most widely used
1 23 type of construction cement; and
1 24 WHEREAS, in addition to the economic benefits
1 25 resulting from the presence of fossil crinoids, the
1 26 crinoid has also brought recognition to the state and
1 27 to citizens of the state as the result of the research
1 28 of both professionals and amateurs; and
1 29 WHEREAS, three of these researchers have received
1 30 recognition in the global scientific community for
2 1 their efforts: Charles Wachsmuth (1829-1896), a
2 2 German immigrant who settled at Burlington and who,
2 3 due to his collecting, research, and writings
2 4 regarding the crinoid, received an appointment to the
2 5 Museum of Comparative Zoology at Harvard University;
2 6 Frank Spinger (1848-1927) who, as an attorney
2 7 practicing in Burlington, became a friend and coworker
2 8 of Charles Wachsmuth with whom he produced many texts
2 9 on crinoids and for whom a room at the Smithsonian
2 10 Institution is named; and Burnice H. Bean (1879-1966)
2 11 who, as a farmer near Le Grand, collected, studied and
2 12 wrote about crinoids, savings thousands of perfectly
2 13 preserved fossil crinoids from destruction, thereby
2 14 providing universities and museums across the nation
2 15 with exhibits of these specimens, including a current
2 16 exhibit at the State Historical Building; and
2 17 WHEREAS, the fossil crinoid, also referred to as
2 18 the sea lily, is a symbol of the state's geological
2 19 and paleontological heritage, has provided economic
2 20 benefits to the state as a source of limestone, and is
2 21 recognized for its completeness and beauty worldwide;
2 22 NOW THEREFORE,
2 23 BE IT RESOLVED BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, THE
2 24 SENATE CONCURRING, That the General Assembly
2 25 officially recognizes the importance of the fossil
2 26 crinoid, and encourages the citizens of the state to
2 27 tour the current exhibit at the state historical
2 28 building entitled "Flowers of the Iowa Seas" which
2 29 includes specimens of fossil crinoids and examples of
2 30 a variety of other former and current inhabitants of
3 1 Iowa's seas.
3 2 LSB 4483HH 76
3 3 pf/sc/14
Text: HCR00131 Text: HCR00133 Text: HCR00100 - HCR00199 Text: HCR Index Bills and Amendments: General Index Bill History: General Index
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