DAILY PRESS (Hampton Roads, Virginia) 10 February 06 Bill naming state amphibian set aside - Lawmakers say they were too swamped to review the legislation, composed by a group of fifth-graders. (Georgina Stark)
Hampton: The Shenandoah mountain salamander has a tough life. He looks like a snake with stumpy legs and spends his life under damp leaves and logs. If all that wasn't enough, he's been caught in Virginia's political process.
The critter had a shot at the big time when a group of Hampton students spent a year-and-a-half working on getting him added to the list of state symbols. Instead, they got a lesson in democracy.
Eight fifth-graders in Cooper Elementary School's 4-H Club enlisted the help of Del. Jeion Ward, D-Hampton, to submit a House of Delegates bill that would make the salamander the state's official amphibian.
But Ward had to break the news to them Wednesday night that the General Laws Committee, scheduled to review the bill, was too swamped with more pressing issues and it would not make it on the agenda Thursday, the last day the bill could be looked at.
The bill had also become the focus of some controversy among lawmakers, who questioned whether the salamander, known scientifically as Plethodon virginia, was native to Virginia.
"This is not one of the pressing issues for the commonwealth," Ward said. "You don't want to take a lot of time debating it."
Jared Neely, 11, who worked on the project, was disappointed with the decision but didn't think the issue needed any debate. "It is native to the state," he said.
The students had planned to help present the bill, hoping to convince the committee to send it on to the House to vote on.
Nevertheless, the students made the trip to Richmond Thursday. Shirley Sypolt, their former 4-H Club teacher who went with them to the General Assembly, said it wasn't a wasted trip.
"They're totally happy because they learned a whole lot about the process," she said. "They knew going into it at the beginning that it takes time."
Ward, who earned the nickname "Lizard Lady" from lawmakers, warned the students that the bill must survive a series of votes before the governor would put his signature on it.
The setback will give the students more time to enlist the support of biologists, that they hope could allay lawmakers' doubts over the creature's native home, Ward said.
The little mountain-dweller may still have the chance to become a state representative. The bill could come up for review during a General Assembly special session in the spring, Ward said.
If not, Ward plans to resubmit it again next year.
"It's not like it's over or anything," said 11-year-old Jordan Mueller, who spent the day at the Capitol.
The group certainly isn't giving up. "I'm a little disappointed," said Yancy Nesbitt, 11, a 4-H Club member, "but we have next year, so it's OK."
VA Press: Bill naming state amphibian set aside