[Congressional Record Volume 160, Number 155 (Tuesday, December 16, 2014)]
[Senate]
[Pages S6929-S6930]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




    HONORING CONSERVATION ON THE CENTENNIAL OF THE PASSENGER PIGEON 
                               EXTINCTION

  Mr. PRYOR. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the 
Environment and Public Works Committee be discharged from further 
consideration of S. Res. 564 and the Senate proceed to its immediate 
consideration.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will report the resolution by title.
  The legislative clerk read as follows:

       A resolution (S. Res. 564) honoring conservation on the 
     centennial of the passenger pigeon extinction.

  There being no objection, the Senate proceeded to consider the 
resolution.
  Mr. PRYOR. I ask unanimous consent that the amendment to the 
resolution that is at the desk be agreed to; the resolution, as 
amended, be agreed to; the amendment to the preamble be agreed to; the 
preamble, as amended, be agreed to; and the motions to reconsider be 
considered made and laid upon the table with no intervening action or 
debate.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  The amendment (No. 4124) was agreed to, as follows:

                (Purpose: To amend the resolving clause)

       In the resolving clause, insert ``balanced and 
     responsible'' before ``conservation''.

  The resolution (S. Res. 564), as amended, was agreed to.
  The amendment (No. 4125) was agreed to, as follows:

                    (Purpose: To amend the preamble)

       Strike the first whereas clause of the preamble.
       In the third whereas clause of the preamble, strike ``as a 
     cautionary tale and raise awareness of current issues related 
     to human-caused extinction,'' and insert ``to encourage 
     communities to''.

  The preamble, as amended, was agreed to.
  The resolution, as amended, and the preamble, as amended, read as 
follows:

                              S. Res. 564

       Whereas the death of Martha, the last passenger pigeon, on 
     September 1, 1914, at the Cincinnati Zoo, and the extinction 
     of the passenger pigeon helped to catalyze the American 
     conservation movement of the early 20th century, resulting in 
     new laws and practices that prevented the extinction of many 
     species;
       Whereas the story of the passenger pigeon can serve as a to 
     encourage communities to explore connections between humans 
     and the natural world, and inspire people to build 
     sustainable relationships with other species;

[[Page S6930]]

       Whereas the passenger pigeon (Ectopistes migratorius) was 
     once the most abundant bird in North America, with a 
     population exceeding 3,000,000,000 and with flocks so large 
     that they could darken the skies for hours and even days at a 
     time;
       Whereas due to unregulated market hunting in the 19th 
     century and deforestation, the passenger pigeon population 
     plummeted toward extinction;
       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 extinction of the 
     species to tell the story of the passenger pigeon; and
       Whereas the story of the passenger pigeon, once a symbol of 
     never-ending natural abundance, and its subsequent extinction 
     is unique in the annals of the history of the United States: 
     Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved, That the Senate commemorates the importance of 
     this centenary, our natural heritage, the sustainability of 
     our ecosystem, and the balanced and responsible conservation 
     of our Nation's wildlife.

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