Our History

A Wild Journey: The Quest for Massachusetts’ State Amphibians!

What happens when a group of determined students, from elementary to high school, team up to make history? A whole lot of perseverance, teamwork, and—of course—amphibians!

It all started when a Destination Imagination Service Learning Team, working alongside a passionate third grader from Southborough, joined forces with the Andover Conservation Commission and the Massachusetts State Conservation Commission. Their mission? To name the Blue-Spotted Salamander as the official State Amphibian of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. With the support of Representative Tram Nguyen and Senator Barry Finegold, they submitted a bill to the State Oversight and Regulatory Committee (SARO).

Then came the big moment—testifying before SARO. Students from elementary through high school took turns sharing their reasons for why Massachusetts needed a state amphibian. The committee members were blown away by their poise and dedication... but the bill didn’t pass.

Not So Fast! The Comeback Story

Did they give up? Not a chance!

The next year, they resubmitted the bill with the same legislators leading the charge. By this time, many of the high schoolers had graduated and were scattered across the country in college. But that didn’t stop the movement! A younger team member and the now 4th grader stepped up and testified again.

Yet, the bill still wasn’t passed.

But here’s where it gets even more exciting…

Two Teams, One Mission!

All this time, another student group was working on their own bill—to name the Spring Peeper as the state amphibian. Competing bills? Nope. An opportunity!

This year, a younger sibling of one of the original DI team members, along with the now 6th grader, reached out to the other group with a new idea:
Why not have a State Salamander and a State Frog—just like several other states have done?

The other team loved it! Amphibians play a crucial role in keeping wetland and forest ecosystems healthy, so why not celebrate both?

The Bill Lives On!

Now, the bill has been resubmitted to SARO—this time, to name the Blue-Spotted Salamander as the State Salamander and the Spring Peeper as the State Frog.

We’re hoping to testify again this fall, and we need your support!

💙 Want to help? We’ve uploaded our past testimony for you to check out, and we’d love for you to write letters to the SARO Committee! To make it easy, we’ve even linked some letter templates.

🐸🐍 Let’s make Massachusetts’ amphibians official—together!

Our Past Testimonies:

2021 Testimony Part 1

2021 Testimony Part 2

2023 High School Student Testimony

2023 Elementary School Student Testimony