Effort to make salamander Idaho's state amphibian fails

Worried about federal overreach, and because they're "creepy," lawmakers rejected a bill championed by a local school girl to name the Idaho giant salamander the state amphibian. From the Star Tribune:

Frank Lundberg, a herpetologist, testified in support of the bill and was disappointed after it failed. "It is a mistake to ever overestimate the ignorance of the Idaho Legislature," he said. Idaho fourth grade classes study state symbols as part of Idaho history, and a fourth-grade teacher backed the bill as well. But Rep. Ken Andrus, R-Lava Hot Springs, voted against the salamander after recalling being repulsed by them as a young boy. "They were ugly, they were slimy, and they were creepy," he said. "And I've not gotten over that. So to elevate them to the status of being the state amphibian, I'm not there yet."

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