Symbolically speaking: from crawfish to cooking pots, states have a taste for adopting some odd mascots.

• Author: Goodwin, Janna

Got milk? At least 17 states do--as their official state beverage or drink.

Every state in the nation has official designations, with Massachusetts a clear victor with 44. By contrast, Iowa has only eight. The most common symbol is a state flower. All 50 states recognize some type of blossom. Some of the more unusual symbols are a state star (Delaware), state photograph (Minnesota) and state coin (Wyoming).

Many state symbols are adopted thanks to civic participation: A third-grade social studies class that lobbies for a state dinosaur, or a concerned citizen who is interested in protecting an aspect of a state's unique heritage.

They contact a legislator, who proposes a bill or resolution. In Colorado, for example, Skyline Vista Elementary School fifth-graders lobbied Representative Jennifer Veiga for a state reptile and were rewarded in mid-March when Governor Bill Ritter signed House Bill 1017, which deemed the Western Painted Turtle the official state reptile.

In 2002, 9-year-old Will Smith wanted to make walking Maryland's official state exercise. He enlisted Delegate William A. Bronrott to champion the concept, and, nearly six years later and with extensive lobbying from the young man, Senate Bill 437 formally crowned walking as the state's cardiovascular activity.

Some lawmakers think such legislation is a waste of time and taxpayer money. Others, however, see it as a great way to encourage citizen involvement.

"There's definitely a perception that it's not as important as everything else we do down here, on education and health care and so many other things," says Maryland Delegate Jeannie Haddaway-Riccio, who introduced a bill this year to designate soybeans the state crop at the urging of fifth-grade school children.

"While I would not typically introduce a bill such as that," says Haddaway-Riccio, "I think it is important to engage young people in the political process. The students did an excellent job of presenting me with letters and reports on why we should have this state designation. They even came to Annapolis and testified before the House Health and Government Operations Committee an experience many adults never have. They were also very excited to see their picture in the Baltimore Sun the next day."

Whether such bills are just quirky deviations from the serious business of lawmaking or demonstrations of civic participation, here are 10 of the more unusual things that have received official state blessings.

LOUISIANA

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