[Congressional Record Volume 160, Number 128 (Tuesday, September 9, 2014)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1373]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




 COMMEMORATING THE CENTENARY OF THE PASSENGER PIGEON'S EXTINCTION AND 
                      THE PASSENGER PIGEON PROJECT

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                          HON. TAMMY DUCKWORTH

                              of illinois

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, September 9, 2014

  Ms. DUCKWORTH. Mr. Speaker, I submit the following.
  Whereas; the Passenger Pigeon, Ectopistes Migratorius, was once the 
most abundant bird in North America with a population exceeding 3 
billion; and
  Whereas; due to unregulated market hunting in the 19th century, the 
population plummeted towards extinction; and
  Whereas; the death of Martha, the last Passenger Pigeon, on September 
1, 1914, and the extinction of the Passenger Pigeon helped assemble the 
American conservation movement of the early 20th century; and
  Whereas; the story of the Passenger Pigeon can serve as a cautionary 
tale and raise awareness of current issues related to human-caused 
extinction, explore connections between humans and nature, and inspire 
the building of sustainable relationships with other species; and
  Whereas; the history of the Passenger Pigeon is relevant today due to 
the fact more than 30 percent of amphibians are threatened with 
extinction, many species of birds, bats and honeybees are in rapid 
decline and when it is projected that 25 percent of the U.S.'s native 
plant species may go extinct by mid-century; and
  Whereas; Project Passenger Pigeon, a consortium of over 150 
institutions, scientists, conservationists, educators, artists, 
musicians, filmmakers and others throughout the nation is using the 
centenary of the species extinction to tell the story of the Passenger 
Pigeon; and
  Whereas; the story of the Passenger Pigeon, once an example of 
nature's abundance, and its subsequent extinction is unique to American 
history;
  Now Therefore, be it known that the undersigned Member of the United 
States Congress, the Honorable L. Tammy Duckworth of the Eighth 
Congressional District of Illinois, hereby recognizes the anniversary 
of the Passenger Pigeon's extinction and its importance in remembering 
our natural heritage and nation's wildlife and the role we can play in 
conserving them.

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