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The Tale of the Washington State Bird, Volume 2: Emma Otis the Bird Chairman, and the Garden Ladies

The Tale of the Washington State Bird, Volume 2: Emma Otis the Bird Chairman, and the Garden Ladies

From the desk of Mary Paynton Schaff Read Volume 1 here From 1943 until 1951, the matter of designating an official Washington state bird languished.  Legislators seemed reluctant to bring the matter to a vote and interested outside groups appear to have lost hope in forcing their lawmakers to act.  Finally in 1951, another wave of interest in making the willow goldfinch official broke ashore, courtesy of a group of determined women from the Washington State Federation of Garden Clubs….

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The Tale of the Washington State Bird, Volume 1: Meadowlarks, Goldfinches, and Mugwumps

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…

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