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PROPOSED RESOLUTION
HONORING THE FOREST PRESERVES OF COOK COUNTY, CHICAGO ZOOLOGICAL SOCIETY, AND THE UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS COLLEGE OF VETERINARY MEDICINE FOR RECEIVING A BEST OF THE BEST PARTNERSHIP AWARD FROM THE ILLINOIS ASSOCIATION OF PARK DISTRICTS
WHEREAS, on October 20, 2023, the Forest Preserves of Cook County (“Forest Preserves”), Chicago Zoological Society, and the University of Illinois College of Veterinary Medicine were honored with a Best of the Best Award from the Illinois Association of Park Districts during its annual gala, receiving the Partnership Award for the Illinois Zoological and Wildlife Health Management Residency Program which focuses on the health of wild animal populations in urban and suburban settings in Cook County, Illinois; and
WHEREAS, the program is the nation’s first wildlife residency program that meets the rigorous standards of the American College of Zoological Medicine and supports a new level of specialty care and professional veterinary medical services that are focused on establishing a baseline of wildlife health; and
WHEREAS, the program is a three-year term and once completed, participating residents earn their Master of Veterinary Science supplementing their Doctorate in Veterinary Medicine, through the University of Illinois College of Veterinary Medicine; and
WHEREAS, each participating resident receives mentorship with all three partner organizations working directly with Forest Preserves’ wildlife biologists through hands-on experiences both monitoring and managing the health of a variety of native species populations in Cook County and receiving clinical experience with animals at Brookfield Zoo and at the Wildlife Epidemiology Lab at the University of Illinois in Urbana-Champaign; and
WHEREAS, while conservation efforts have helped to ensure that population numbers of several local species are stable or increasing, changes in landscape features and species composition, emerging diseases, habitat fragmentation from increasing development and impacts from a changing climate continue to threaten the health and populations of many other local species which is why this collaborative program in extremely important to the future survival of this region’s wildlife; and
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that Toni Preckwinkle, President and the Forest Preserves of Cook County Board of Commissioners congratulate the Forest Preserves of Cook County, Chicago Zoological Society, and the University of Illinois College of Veterinary Medicine for receiving an Illinois Association of Park Districts’ Best of the Best Award and thank them for their commitment to the mission of the Forest Preserves; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that a suitable copy of this Resolution be presented to the awardees as a token of appreciation for their service to the Forest Preserves of Cook County and the residents of Cook County.end