HR0251 LRB096 12212 GRL 24774 r

1
HOUSE RESOLUTION

 
2     WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of
3 Representatives wish to recognize Brookfield Zoo's role as a
4 cultural, economic, and educational asset for the people of the
5 State of Illinois; and
 
6     WHEREAS, Brookfield Zoo will celebrate its 75th
7 anniversary this year; the zoo has welcomed more than 133
8 million people and has cared for more than 110,000 animals
9 since it opened on July 1, 1934; and
 
10     WHEREAS, While Brookfield Zoo is a 216-acre gem that is
11 owned by the Forest Preserve District of Cook County and
12 managed by the Chicago Zoological Society, it is also an
13 award-winning educational institution that reaches thousands
14 of students, teachers, and families each year; and
 
15     WHEREAS, At a 2008 White House ceremony, Brookfield Zoo was
16 awarded the prestigious National Medal for Museum and Library
17 Services for its outstanding social, environmental, economic,
18 and educational contributions; and
 
19     WHEREAS, Brookfield Zoo focuses much of its educational
20 programming in economically distressed, highly-urbanized areas
21 while engaging and nurturing at-risk youth; and
 

 

 

HR0251 - 2 - LRB096 12212 GRL 24774 r

1     WHEREAS, Brookfield Zoo is working to inspire the next
2 generation of African-American and Latino conservation
3 leaders; and
 
4     WHEREAS, Brookfield Zoo is an example of the critical role
5 that accredited zoos play in utilizing managed breeding
6 programs to restore species that are endangered or extinct in
7 the wild; and
 
8     WHEREAS, Brookfield Zoo's conservationists are working to
9 restore species, including Amur tigers, black rhinos, and
10 Panama golden frogs, that have been decimated by poaching,
11 habitat destruction, and other human behaviors; and
 
12     WHEREAS, Brookfield Zoo has led international research
13 efforts on marine mammal life and coastal health through its
14 Sarasota Dolphin Research Program, the longest running dolphin
15 research program in the world; and
 
16     WHEREAS, A new field of study called conservation
17 psychology was developed at Brookfield Zoo; conservation
18 psychology is the scientific study of the reciprocal
19 relationship between man and nature; and
 
20     WHEREAS, Brookfield Zoo has developed programs and

 

 

HR0251 - 3 - LRB096 12212 GRL 24774 r

1 exhibits around this field of study and around the need to
2 mitigate nature-deficit disorder in children; and
 
3     WHEREAS, In March of 2009, Brookfield Zoo awarded Richard
4 Louv, best-selling author of "Last Child in the Woods", its
5 coveted George B. Rabb Conservation Medal; Louv's book has
6 inspired Leave No Child Inside initiatives throughout the
7 country; and
 
8     WHEREAS, House Joint Resolution 27 of the 96th General
9 Assembly designates the month of June as "Leave No Child Inside
10 Month" in the State of Illinois; and
 
11     WHEREAS, Brookfield Zoo is also a global leader in animal
12 care and well-being, having set new standards in these areas;
13 Brookfield Zoo's animals receive world-class care from
14 passionate keepers, dieticians, and veterinarians; and
 
15     WHEREAS, Although Brookfield Zoo has had many famous
16 animals over the years, there is one feathered resident who is
17 the most celebrated; Cookie, a Leadbeater's cockatoo, is at
18 least 75 years old and has been at the zoo since it opened in
19 1934; Cookie has been the subject of hundreds of news articles
20 and stories and has been viewed by tens of millions of people;
21 Cookie still has visitors who come to see him every week; some
22 sing to him, while others carry on conversations with him; and
 

 

 

HR0251 - 4 - LRB096 12212 GRL 24774 r

1     WHEREAS, With 2.1 million annual visitors and 90,000 member
2 households, Brookfield Zoo is Illinois' most popular outdoor
3 cultural attraction and the third most popular recreational
4 destination for Chicago-area Latinos; guests from 35 countries
5 and 250,000 schoolchildren from 48 Illinois counties visited
6 the zoo in 2008; and
 
7     WHEREAS, In addition to being an educational institution,
8 Brookfield Zoo is an economic engine that pumps more than $150
9 million a year into the Illinois economy while supporting 2,000
10 jobs; and
 
11     WHEREAS, As Brookfield Zoo turns 75, so too does much of
12 its infrastructure; Brookfield Zoo is ready to move on worthy,
13 well-planned, and much-needed infrastructure projects that
14 will put people back to work and contribute to the economic
15 recovery of our State; and
 
16     WHEREAS, With support from the General Assembly and the
17 Governor, Brookfield Zoo can improve, upgrade, and modernize
18 its 1930s-era infrastructure and, in doing so, continue to be
19 an award-winning educational institution, top tourism
20 attraction, and potent economic engine; therefore, be it
 
21     RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE

 

 

HR0251 - 5 - LRB096 12212 GRL 24774 r

1 NINETY-SIXTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we
2 designate the date of July 1, 2009 as "Brookfield Zoo Day" in
3 the State of Illinois; and be it further
 
4     RESOLVED, That we celebrate the 75th anniversary of this
5 world-famous Illinois zoo, its rich history, its unlimited
6 future, and its contributions as an economic, tourism,
7 conservation, and educational asset for the people of Illinois;
8 and be it further
 
9     RESOLVED, That suitable copies of this resolution be
10 presented to Dr. George Rabb, Director Emeritus; Fred Krehbiel,
11 Chairman of the Board; and Dr. Stuart Strahl, President and
12 CEO.