Photo: Elijah-Lovkoff / iStock / Getty Images
BOSTON (State House News Service) - A fifth grade student from Southborough is steering the effort to make the blue-spotted salamander the official amphibian of Massachusetts.
Twenty-seven states already have honorary amphibians and the commonwealth is falling behind, 10-year-old Semona Peet told the Joint Committee on State Administration and Regulatory Oversight Wednesday.
Proposals from Rep. Tram Nguyen and Sen. Barry Finegold (H 3096 / S 2006) would bestow the designation on a type of salamander that officials say is threatened.
Peet told lawmakers she's built a coalition of support from Mass Audubon, the Massachusetts Association of Conservation Commissions and the Southborough Select Board, among other organizations.
"I really love salamanders because since I was little, I've been helping my family look for salamanders every spring to help them cross the road so they don't get hit by cars as they try to get to a vernal pool to lay their eggs," Peet said.
The blue-spotted salamander has competition. A Rep. Michael Kushmerek bill (H 3076) designates the spring peeper, a small tree frog, as the official amphibian.
Committee member Rep. Rodney Elliott congratulated Peet on an "amazing presentation."
"I think you know and have understood the process of how to initiate a bill and get something passed and reach out to stakeholders and communities ... better than most of us here," the Lowell Democrat said.
Adult blue-spotted salamanders measure about three to five inches long, and they're part of the mole salamander family. That means they have "distinctively long toes and a stockier build relative to other groups of salamanders in our region," according to state officials.
Rep. Kate Donaghue, who testified alongside Peet, said the proposals would bolster education and conservation efforts around the blue-spotted salamander, which she described as a "beautiful creature."
Written By Alison Kuznitz/SHNS
WBZ's Madison Rogers (@MadisonWBZ) reports
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