Woodbury Middle School sixth-grader Mae Ambruso was in fourth grade at Bethlehem Elementary School when she first thought the beloved spring peeper should be designated as Connecticut’s State Amphibian.

Following a visit to BES by State Senator Berthel, who talked about how petitions move through the state legislature, Ambruso started her own petition to have the Spring Peeper as the state amphibian and enlisted a few friends to circulate it. Spring ahead two years, and thanks to the support of Sen. Berthel and Representative Karen Reddington-Hughes for Mae’s peeper petition, the state legislature has officially designated the spring peeper as our official State Amphibian, celebrating a beloved native species.

Public Act 26-67, which had unanimous support in the House and Senate, was signed by Governor Ned Lamont on May 19. On October 1, the spring peeper officially becomes the state amphibian. Well done Mae!