H.C.R. No. 9 Summary

• Designates the Portage Lakes area in Summit County as the Purple Martin Capital of Ohio

• Purple martins are large North American swallows that migrate from Brazil and feed entirely on insects; virtually all purple martins east of the Rocky Mountains now depend on human-supplied nesting sites

• The Portage Lakes Purple Martin Project, started in 2000 by the Portage Lakes Advisory Council, has grown the local purple martin population from one pair in 2000 to an estimated eighty pairs by 2003 through a sanctuary with over 200 nesting sites maintained by over 50 volunteers

• The project provides environmentally safe insect control while reducing the need for insecticide spraying in the Portage Lakes area

• Directs the House Clerk to transmit copies of the resolution to the Portage Lakes Purple Martin Association, Portage Lakes Advisory Council, Ohio Division of Wildlife, and state news media