Senate Resolution 28 - Introduced

PAG LIN





  1  1               SENATE RESOLUTION NO.      
  1  2      BY  DVORSKY, BLACK, McCOY, KIBBIE, GRONSTAL,
  1  3      COURTNEY, WOOD, SCHOENJAHN, BOLKCOM, DEARDEN,
  1  4       HANCOCK, SENG, QUIRMBACH, HORN, WARNSTADT,
  1  5   DOTZLER, RIELLY, FRAISE, RAGAN, STEWART, CONNOLLY,
  1  6     BEAL, DANIELSON, KREIMAN, HATCH, HOUSER, HAHN,
  1  7   BOETTGER, JOHNSON, TINSMAN, WIECK, MILLER, ANGELO,
  1  8  KETTERING, BEHN, PUTNEY, IVERSON, McKINLEY, SEYMOUR,
  1  9               GASKILL, ZIEMAN, and MULDER
  1 10 A Resolution to recognize the 50th anniversary of the
  1 11    creation of county conservation boards.
  1 12    WHEREAS, 2005 is a historic year for Iowa's county
  1 13 conservation boards.  Fifty years ago the General
  1 14 Assembly passed Iowa's county conservation law, making
  1 15 it possible for county residents to create by local
  1 16 vote their own resource management agencies; and
  1 17    WHEREAS, today, conservation boards serve all 99
  1 18 counties in Iowa and collectively the county
  1 19 conservation board system accounts for over 160,000
  1 20 acres of county park and conservation areas; and
  1 21    WHEREAS, the county conservation program provides
  1 22 millions of pleasurable outdoor experiences to Iowans
  1 23 and to visitors to this state each year; and
  1 24    WHEREAS, the county conservation law was made
  1 25 purposefully broad to allow local citizens in
  1 26 individual Iowa counties to decide what kinds of
  1 27 conservation and outdoor recreation areas and
  1 28 facilities they want for their county residents; and
  1 29    WHEREAS, the success of Iowa's county conservation
  1 30 board system over the past 50 years can in part be
  2  1 attributed to the provision of the county conservation
  2  2 law requiring board members to be selected and
  2  3 appointed on the basis of their demonstrated interest
  2  4 in conservation matters; and
  2  5    WHEREAS, once appointed, conservation board members
  2  6 are removed one step from the political process and
  2  7 are empowered to make long=range decisions and have
  2  8 complete oversight of the county conservation board
  2  9 program; and
  2 10    WHEREAS, Iowa's county conservation boards depend
  2 11 on funding from the state's resource enhancement and
  2 12 protection (REAP) program to help support essential
  2 13 county programs; and
  2 14    WHEREAS, this funding assists counties, through
  2 15 their conservation boards, to fulfill locally
  2 16 determined vital needs including, but not limited to,
  2 17 outdoor recreation, conservation education, and
  2 18 natural resource acquisition and protection; NOW
  2 19 THEREFORE,
  2 20    BE IT RESOLVED BY THE SENATE, That the Senate
  2 21 congratulates Iowa's county conservation boards on the
  2 22 50th anniversary of the creation of the system and
  2 23 thanks all the board members, past and present, for
  2 24 their service to the people of Iowa in providing for
  2 25 the conservation of our natural heritage and
  2 26 increasing the recreational opportunities that make
  2 27 Iowa a better place to live.
  2 28 LSB 1444SS 81
  2 29 jr:nh/cf/24