HOUSE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION NO. 14
(By Mr. Speaker, Mr. Chambers, and Delegates Compton,
Doyle, Kiss, Rutledge and Vest)

Designating Wednesday, February 9, 1994, as West Virginia Nongame Wildlife and Natural Heritage Day.

Whereas, Nongame Wildlife and other aspects of our Natural Heritage enrich the lives of over 1.2 million West Virginia citizens through such wildlife experiences as birdwatching, photography, bird feeding and nature study; and

Whereas, Nongame Wildlife and Natural Heritage experiences by West Virginia residents contribute over sixty million dollars annually to the State's economy through expenditures for travel and equipment; and
Whereas, 267,000 nonresidents annually enjoy the State's Nongame Wildlife and Natural Heritage resources generating one hundred ten million dollars in tourism dollars and spend 1.1 million visitor days; and
Whereas, Nongame Wildlife includes those species which are not fished, hunted or trapped and comprise eighty-seven percent of all West Virginia's wildlife including 261 species of birds, 51 mammals, 43 amphibians, 42 reptiles, 130 fishes, 2,308 vascular plants and thousands of invertebrates; and
Whereas, 16 of the hundreds of animal species and 5 plant species found in West Virginia are listed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service as either threatened or endangered, such as the bald eagle, Cheat Mountain salamander and running buffalo clover; and
Whereas, The Natural Heritage Program conducts an ongoing statewide ecological inventory of rare plant and animal species, wetlands and other biological communities necessary for public and private agencies to satisfy their legal or regulatory responsibilities; therefore, be it
Resolved by the Legislature of West Virginia:
That Wednesday, February 9, 1994, be designated as Nongame Wildlife and Natural Heritage Day for the purpose of increasing public awareness of these important resources within West Virginia; and, be it
Further Resolved, That the Clerk of the House of Delegates forward a copy of this resolution to the Governor and the director of the division of natural resources.