19 hours Ago
Given the chaos in Washington, D.C., and bitter debates at the State House, it’s natural to look for something on which people might actually agree.
Such was the case made by Rep. Laurie Osher, D-Orono, as she filed two bills ( LD 72 and LD 73 ) on the first day of the session that would, respectively, enshrine an amphibian and a reptile on the state’s official list. Osher told a reporter, “A lot of people just assume that state government is not a big deal, but with 2,000 bills a session, there are a lot of things we are addressing that affect people’s lives.
Having bills like these, that draw attention to the fact that we are already starting to work, is a good thing.” Douglas Rooks has been a Maine editor, columnist and reporter for 40 years. He is the author of four books, most recently a biography of U.
S. Chief Justice Melville Fuller, and welcomes comment at [email protected].
Have her hopes been realized? Yes and no. The bills were quickly introduced, but given the glacial pace of legislative business, they’re just now emerging from committee. Osher’s legislation has now been joined by at least two other bills seeking official status, for a state dog and a state anthem.
If enacted and signed into law they would add to the 31 existing state “symbols” — there’s no official term for this oddball collection of animals, songs, artifacts, beverages, foods, with a mineral, fossil, and even a military history museum thrown in. Some are familiar and long-established, such as the motto (“Dirigo”), the flag and seal (pine tree and moose), plus the white pine as state tree, chickadee as state bird and pine cone and tassel as state flower. The latter, featured on the “chickadee” license plate, is now being phased out in favor of another, unofficial state flag.
Somehow, Maine managed through more than 150 years with just nine symbols. One, admittedly, is obscure, the “State of Maine Song,” added in 1930. Things have proliferated since, with the landlocked salmon named state fish in 1969, tourmaline state mineral in 1971 and another 10 in just the last 15 years.
Not every proposal makes it. In 2019, schoolkids backed a bill raising questions about the iconic chickadee. Was it the boreal chickadee, native to Maine but seen mostly in the North Woods, or the black-capped chickadee, familiar at every backyard bird feeder but not Maine’s alone? Wisely, lawmakers declined to enter the fray, and the state bird is still just the chickadee.
What of the new crop? One might hope that partisan differences would be put aside in favor of assessing each bill’s merit, but that was not to be. Osher’s bill, designating the spring peeper state amphibian and the wood turtle as the reptile, attracted Democrats on the State and Local Government Committee while Republicans opposed, with one exception. Sen.
Joseph Martin, R-Rumford, liked the peeper but not the turtle. The bills sped through both chambers and may soon be on their way to Gov. Janet Mills.
Support at the bills’ hearings came from Maine Audubon and the Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife. The dog bill presents a more interesting case. Rep.
David Boyer, R-Poland, decided the Seppala Siberian sled dog was the right candidate. It’s not an easy decision. Unlike the Maine coon cat, adopted in 1985, there’s no dog breed that immediately says “Maine.
” Boyer took advantage of a sled dog’s fame. Togo, lead dog on a mission to bring diphtheria vaccine to Nome, Alaska, in 1925, was the focus of a Disney+ movie in 2019. Togo then retired to the Poland Spring Resort, where local supporters testified on his behalf.
In an adept move, Boyer argued for the Seppala “not because it’s common, but because it’s exceptional.” The committee agreed, voting overwhelmingly in favor, with only Rep. Will Tuell, R-East Machias, opposed.
Then there’s the state anthem bill , introduced at the request of the songwriter Gordon Thomas Ward by Sen. Marianne Moore, R-Calais. The musical field is crowded.
We have already, in addition to the state song, a “Song of the 21st Century,” a ballad and a march. But this anthem could join them. It’s folksy and comprehensive: “From the Allagash to the Androscoggin,” with “lobster rolls and cans of Moxie” (two more state symbols.
) And there are inimitable Maine-isms, “theyah, heyah and deayah.” The committee divided — perhaps oddly given the sponsor’s party — with Democrats plus Sen. Martin in favor and other Republicans opposed.
Both dog and anthem advanced in the House on Tuesday, but the Senate opposed the anthem. The outcomes cannot at this point be predicted. Do we need each of these foods, animals, songs and minerals? Probably not.
But it’s doubtful any will be repealed, so you might want to propose your own and take a shot at achieving a small dose of immortality. We believe it’s important to offer commenting on certain stories as a benefit to our readers. At its best, our comments sections can be a productive platform for readers to engage with our journalism, offer thoughts on coverage and issues, and drive conversation in a respectful, solutions-based way.
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