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LANSING – State Representative Pam Byrnes (D-Lyndon Township) today announced that her bill to make Northern spring peepers the official amphibian of the state of Michigan passed out of the Great Lakes and Environmental Committee and now heads to the full House for a vote.

Byrnes said she was inspired to introduce the legislation after she visited a fourth-grade class at Klager Elementary School in Manchester during March is Reading Month last year.

"The students gave the most wonderful presentation about peepers," Byrnes said. "They made an excellent case for the importance of frogs in our ecosystem. The class voted and decided the Northern spring peeper would be the best candidate for Michigan's official state amphibian."

A peeper is a small tree frog widespread throughout the eastern part of the United States. The spring peeper is small, attaining an adult size between 0.75 and 1.5 inches long. They have a dark cross on their backs roughly in the shape of an "X" and are mostly tan, brown, olive green or gray. Spring peepers are nocturnal frogs, so they are mostly heard but not seen. They are especially easy to hear due to their extremely loud mating call, which gives them the name "peeper."

At the committee hearing, Klager Elemtary teacher Ron Tindall, who brought his current and former fourth-grade classes, testified. Huron Valley Sierra Club member and local frog expert Gwen Nystuen also told the committee about how frog populations are an important indicator of environmental health. Zookeepers nationwide declared 2008 the "year of the frog," Nystuen said.

"The Klager students got to see up close how everyday people can affect state law," Byrnes said. "Their enthusiasm for this process was infectious and reminds me that I have the best job in the world."