Senate Resolution No. 2080

BY: Senator MANNION

MEMORIALIZING Governor Kathy Hochul to proclaim
March 20, 2022, as Wood Frog Day in the State of New
York, for the many medicinal benefits the wood frog
has to offer the human race and its existence in
every county in New York State

WHEREAS, This Legislative Body is proud to recognize unique
attributes which exist in the wildlife throughout the State of New York;
and

WHEREAS, It is the sense of this Legislative Body to recognize and
commend Woody the Wood Frog, indigenous to Northeast North America, for
his extraordinary physical characteristics and the many medicinal
benefits he has to offer the human race; and

WHEREAS, The wood frog (or Lithobates sylvaticus) is usually a
brown, tan or rust-color, with black markings that look similar to a
mask; it can grow as long as three inches, and though it is found all
over New York State, it is also found as far north as the Arctic Circle;
and

WHEREAS, The elusive camouflaged amphibian can be found in every
county in New York State; and

WHEREAS, With many admirable qualities, the wood frog has several
unique physical adaptations which can be beneficial to human health
research; currently, scientists are studying the wood frog with the hope
of saving millions of lives; and

WHEREAS, One distinct attribute is the wood frog's ability to freeze
in the winter and reanimate in the spring; when scientists discern this
phenomenon, it will help to discover how organs for transplants can be
frozen and then thawed, allowing for more time between harvesting an
organ and transplanting it into the recipient; and

WHEREAS, A second unique feature is the wood frog's capability to
stop its blood circulation and start it again without any damage; when
researchers understand this process, heart attack and/or stroke victims
will greatly benefit due to when stricken, blood flow stops and clots or
other damage may occur; and

WHEREAS, The third exceptional trait is the wood frog's talent to
tolerate blood sugar 100 times higher than humans; studies have been
conducted regarding the glycation of wood frog hemoglobin and blood
proteins which hold out promise for improved pharmacological approaches
for the control of diabetes which afflicts over 29 million people in the
United States; and

WHEREAS, Diabetes, the most rapidly growing chronic disease of our
time, has become an epidemic that affects one out of every 12 adult New
Yorkers; to date, more than one million people from New York have been
diagnosed with this serious disease; and

WHEREAS, The efforts and tenacity of the Wood Frog Club, led by frog
enthusiast Lili Winkelman, are to be commended; in 2014, 4th grader Lili
and her fellow students in Irene Manna's classroom at the State Street
Intermediate School in Skaneateles, New York, had a dream to make the
wood frog the official New York State amphibian; this year, they remain
steadfast in their pledge to bring full recognition to this mighty
amphibian and the many benefits he has to offer this great Empire State
and the World as a whole; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED, That this Legislative Body pause in its deliberations to
memorialize Governor Kathy Hochul to proclaim March 20, 2022, as Wood
Frog Day in the State of New York, for the many medicinal benefits the
wood frog has to offer the human race and its existence in every county
in New York State; and be it further

RESOLVED, That copies of this Resolution, suitably engrossed, be
transmitted to The Honorable Kathy Hochul, Governor of the State of New
York; the members of the Wood Frog Club; and their Mentor Mr. Garrett.