Andover Students Lead Push To Recognize Blue-Spotted Salamander

ANDOVER, MA — State tree? Fish? Polka? Sure, Massachusetts has those already — the American elm, cod, and Lenny Gomulka's "Say Hello to Someone in Massachusetts."

But the Bay State doesn't have a state amphibian yet, and state Rep. Tram Nguyen and a group of Andover high school students want to change that.

Legislation filed by Nguyen would make the blue-spotted salamander the official state amphibian.

The bill was brought to her by an Andover "Destination Imagination" (DI) team, the Andover Animal Advocates. The team won both a state and a global prize for their project on 29 endangered species in Andover.

The Animal Advocates include Abhinav Bapanapalli, Diya Ganesh, Mahathi Veluri, Randy Tran, Julia Strong and Sriniketh Velagapudi.

The students "conducted a poll on the species, focusing on amphibians, which are an indicator of the health of an ecosystem, due to their sensitivity to changes in the environment," according to a news release. "The team collected 533 poll responses from across the Commonwealth, and the Blue-spotted Salamander won with 41% of the vote."

"The Blue-spotted Salamander is an important part of our local ecosystem," Nguyen said in a statement. "But that is only one reason that I filed this bill. A big reason is another important species even more vital to the sustainability of our planet: students who care.

"When students get involved, we are all better off. Which is why I am grateful that these students came to me with their request to make the democratically-selected Blue-spotted Salamander the State Amphibian of Massachusetts. It was an honor to file their bill, and it is encouraging to see my colleagues in the State House sign on as co-sponsors."

The blue-spotted salamander eats pests like mosquitos and slugs and is endangered due to loss of wetland and forest habitat, according to the students.

"The Blue-spotted Salamander is a key species for identifying Vernal pools, which are part of a wetlands system that nourishes our ponds and streams," according to the release. "Their existence means our environment is healthy."

"This bill extends far beyond selecting a new state symbol for the Commonwealth; it acts as a gateway to greater environmental awareness," the Andover Animal Advocates said. "We believe that if this bill passes, we can raise awareness of the disappearing Vernal pool habitats and the many species that depend on them. This is a problem that is more urgent today than ever."

Christopher Huffaker can be reached at 412-265-8353 or chris.huffaker@patch.com.