TITLE: Designating Lipscomb County as the official Turkey Buzzard Capital of Texas.

SUMMARY: Designating Lipscomb County as the official Turkey Buzzard Capital of Texas.

FULL TEXT:
WHEREAS, Texas is home to a diverse population of animals, and through the centuries these creatures have become important touchstones for the state's human residents, serving as poignant symbols of the changing seasons and as reminders of the epic beauty of the natural world; and WHEREAS, The residents of Lipscomb County have found special significance in a member of the bird species, the turkey buzzard, which each year returns to the area, heralding the coming of spring as it soars once more over the wide open spaces of the Texas Panhandle; and WHEREAS, Also known as the turkey vulture, this distinctive bird is immediately recognizable by its bald red head and the two-toned coloring visible on the underside of its broad wings; the buzzards migrate into Lipscomb County and other parts of the Great Plains during the warmer part of the year, and their arrival is a much-anticipated event, prompting residents to hold contests to guess the exact date that the birds will first be sighted circling overhead in the vast blue sky; and WHEREAS, A timeless emblem of the region, the turkey buzzard flew above the northern Texas landscape when it was traversed by the Apaches, Kiowas, and Comanches, and the species maintained its lofty vigil as ranchers and farmers established new lives on the frontier and expansive fields of wheat spread to the horizon; the German-Russian immigrants who arrived in the early 1900s paused their farmwork to watch the birds sailing the air currents, as did the roughnecks who helped drill the county's first oil wells in the 1950s; and WHEREAS, Today, county residents and visitors alike continue to enjoy the impressive sight of the turkey buzzards as they stand atop their morning roosts with wings spread wide, drying their feathers in preparation for hours of flight; at day's end, the vultures again draw an audience as they glide through the twilight to settle in the treetops; and WHEREAS, These majestic birds, together with other abundant species such as wild turkey, quail, and deer, make the county popular with bird-watchers, photographers, and artists; moreover, the turkey buzzard has become a beloved icon of Lipscomb County that alludes to the area's rich natural and human history, and this status is indeed deserving of official recognition; now, therefore, be it RESOLVED, That the 82nd Legislature of the State of Texas hereby designate Lipscomb County as the official Turkey Buzzard Capital of Texas.