HJ0089 94TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HJ0089 LRB094 15849 HSS 54147 r

HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The Illinois River played a vital and historic role in our nation's growth by connecting the Great Lakes with the Mississippi River; and

WHEREAS, The waterways of Illinois have been instrumental in shaping the culture, commerce, and communities of our State; and

WHEREAS, More than 90 percent of all Illinois residents live within the sprawling Illinois River watershed and its tributaries - the Calumet, Chicago, Des Plaines, DuPage, Fox, Kankakee, La Moine, Mackinaw, Sangamon, Spoon, and Vermilion Rivers - which also provide habitat for countless species of fish, reptiles, waterfowl, and fauna; and

WHEREAS, Nearly one million Illinois residents rely on the Illinois River and its tributaries for drinking water; and

WHEREAS, Generations of Illinois farmers have relied on the Illinois River to get their harvests to market, and thousands of Illinois businesses use the Illinois River as an economic corridor to ship more than 60 million tons of commodities annually, including coal, iron, petroleum products, chemicals, steel, sand, gravel, and agricultural products; and

WHEREAS, The Illinois River's recreational opportunities have blossomed in recent years, as fishermen, boaters, bird-watchers, bikers, hikers, and tourists from across the nation have begun to enjoy anew the Illinois River's vast beauty; and

WHEREAS, Since 1999, the Office of the Illinois Lieutenant Governor has co-sponsored the "Annual Illinois River Sweep", in which thousands of volunteers at dozens of sites roll up their sleeves to clean up this precious resource; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE NINETY-FOURTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, THE SENATE CONCURRING HEREIN, that we recognize the third Saturday of every September as "Illinois River Day" to celebrate this magnificent waterway and its profound impact on our lives as Illinoisans.