Thanks to a group of third-graders, Washington state now has an official amphibian — the Pacific chorus frog.
Governor Chris Gregoire, wearing a toy frog on her forefinger, signed the bill last Monday, bantering with the students from Olympia who brought the law forward as a class project.
"There, you got a bill passed, and that's a really, really big deal,'' the governor said. "You made a law today.'' The students researched amphibians that live in Washington, and they chose the Pacific chorus frog — one that is found in all 39 counties in the state.
PHOTO: EPA
After state Representative Brendan Williams introduced their bill, the students took a field trip to the Capitol to lobby for its passage, bringing along a tape of the frogs in full chorus.
The measure, making the Pacific chorus frog the official state amphibian, zipped through the House and had an equally smooth path through the Senate.
Williams said that the bill would also help the citizens of Washington become aware of how fragile the natural world is in Washington. Frogs are a species that help scientists notice problems very early. (AP)
由於一群小學三年級生的努力，美國華盛頓州現在有了正式代言該州的兩棲動物─太平洋擬蝗蛙。
上週一，食指戴著玩具蛙的州長克莉絲?葛瑞格莉爾一面和這群來自奧林匹亞的小學生說笑，一面簽署這項法案。這條法規原本只是這些學生的一個課堂作業。
州長說：「好啦！你們促成一項法案通過，那可真是件大事呢。今天你們制定了一條法規。」這些學生研究了華盛頓州的兩棲動物，然後選定全州三十九個郡都可見的太平洋擬蝗蛙。
在州議員布蘭登?威廉斯提出他們的法案後，這些小學生帶著太平洋擬蝗蛙齊聲唱鳴的錄音帶，來到州議會大廈展開遊說工作。
這項推選太平洋擬蝗蛙為華盛頓州代言蛙的議案，很快就在參眾兩院順利通過。
威廉斯表示，這項法案也能幫助華盛頓州民察覺當地自然生態脆弱之處。青蛙是協助科學家及早察覺問題的指標。（美聯社／翻譯：林倩如）
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