BOISE, Idaho (AP) — The Idaho giant salamander is now officially Idaho’s state amphibian.
Gov. C.L. “Butch” Otter signed the legislation on Thursday.
Fourteen-year-old Ilah Hickman has been lobbying state lawmakers to pass the bill for five years. Her dreams were briefly crushed earlier this year when lawmakers killed the bill in committee. However, lawmakers later revived the bill and sent it to the governor’s desk.
Otter gave Hickman a copy of the bill and his pen before letting her sit behind the governor’s desk.
Hickman and her friends then took selfies with the governor after the ceremony.
The salamander, which lives almost exclusively in Idaho, can grow to be more than a foot long. It joins the potato, monarch butterfly and Western white pine as one 17 state symbols in Idaho.
(2) comments
Caught one this morning in the irrigation in Chubbuck! How fun! All the internet posts have its habitat in northern Idaho but they are here too.
It took 5 years for a 14 year old to get this passed. 5 years of bickering from our elected officials. Are--You---Kidding--Me??? Her ideas were pure, where were the thoughts of the "powers that be? Kudos to her for being persistent!
To the lawmakers that "killed" this in committee, jeeze, what else to you pass off and put on the back burner---besides mental health--teachers salaries--health care. How embarrassing!
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