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2016 SESSION

16103397D
HOUSE RESOLUTION NO. 91
Offered January 26, 2016
Commending the Virginia Living Museum.
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Patrons-- Yancey and Price
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WHEREAS, the Junior Nature Museum and Planetarium in Newport News was launched in 1966 as a community project, spearheaded by the Warwick Rotary Club and the Junior League of Hampton Roads, to help children and adults learn to cherish living things and develop a genuine desire to protect and preserve the Commonwealth’s natural heritage; and

WHEREAS, the Junior Nature Museum and Planetarium became the first living museum east of the Mississippi in 1987, when it changed its name to the Virginia Living Museum; and

WHEREAS, in 2004, the Virginia Living Museum completed a $22.6 million expansion to serve more constituents with science education programs and exhibits, introducing visitors to more plants and animals than would be encountered in a lifetime of outdoor adventures in Virginia; and

WHEREAS, during the past 50 years, the Virginia Living Museum has reached more than 2.5 million students with hands-on science education programs that are correlated to Virginia’s Standards of Learning, and these programs help to attract students to the sciences; and

WHEREAS, since 1966, the Virginia Living Museum, through its exhibits, programs, and activities, has shared the wonder of nature with more than eight million visitors and has taken a leadership role in educating visitors about ways to conserve valuable natural resources; and

WHEREAS, the Virginia Living Museum holds itself to the highest standards of its industry, being one of only 14 institutions accredited by both the American Alliance of Museums and the Association of Zoos and Aquariums; and

WHEREAS, the Virginia Living Museum is also a certified Virginia Green attraction, committed to minimizing its environmental impact by preventing as much pollution as possible; and

WHEREAS, in 2015, the Virginia Living Museum received a Governor’s Environmental Excellence Gold Award for decades of conservation teaching and practices; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED by the House of Delegates, That the Virginia Living Museum hereby be commended for its 50 years of outstanding service to the Commonwealth by promoting a better understanding of the delicate balance of the natural world; and, be it

RESOLVED FURTHER, That the Clerk of the House of Delegates prepare a copy of this resolution for presentation to the Virginia Living Museum as an expression of the House of Delegates’ admiration for the museum’s contributions to the residents of the Commonwealth and best wishes for continued success.