|
|
campaign for Ohio to designate the
spotted salamander as the official state amphibian.
Seventh-graders Isabella Todaro and Kelli Wright and eighth-graders Shawn Cooper, Zak Kucera and Clay McMullen will testify in favor of Senate Bill 240, sponsored by state Sen. Tim Grendell, R-Chester Township, at 11 a.m. Wednesday at a hearing in front of the State and Local Government and Veteran Affairs Committee of the Ohio Senate.
"We're very proud of the WET members for their concern about the environment and for their initiative to bring this issue to the legislature," Grendell said.
"It's rewarding to see these young people become involved in how our government works."
The students met with the senator in the summer to urge him to propose a bill to designate the spotted salamander as the state's amphibian to raise awareness of the disappearance of wetlands from the state and the need to protect them.
The spotted salamander uses vernal pools, a type of wetland, to lay its eggs and raise its young. The amphibian is present in most Ohio counties.
Grendell proposed the legislation Oct. 10 on the floor of the Senate.
Thousands of students from across the state have written postcards to legislators in support of this bill, according to a news release. Members of WET recently were recognized for their stewardship of public lands by receiving the national Take Pride in America Award and had the opportunity to speak about environmental issues with Secretary of the Department of Interior Dirk Kempthorne.
The group represented West Geauga Middle School as the only school in the country to win this award.
In June, they received the Christopher Columbus Award gold medal, a national science competition that challenges middle school students.
