The Tale of the Washington State Bird, Volume 1: Meadowlarks, Goldfinches, and Mugwumps
From the desk of Mary Paynton Schaff Every school child knows that the willow goldfinch is the official State Bird of Washington. But less well known is the fact that the willow goldfinch had a long and controversial road to approval – 23 years of bickering and grandstanding, all of which culminated in a dramatic and highly amusing floor debate in the state’s House of Representatives. But first, let’s go back to 1928 when Washington’s school children were given the…