Giant beaver is one signature away from becoming Minnesota’s state fossil

A long-extinct mammal that once roamed Minnesota is poised to become the state’s official fossil. The idea began, according to state Sen. Steve Cwodzinski, several years ago with a science assignment at Central Middle School in Eden Prairie.

The giant beaver, Castoroides ohioensis, is included in the final conference committee report for SF 3045, the State and Local Government bill, which passed both chambers of the Minnesota Legislature on May 19. The Senate approved the report 36-31; the House followed with a 116-18 vote. As of May 21, the bill awaits Gov. Tim Walz’s signature.

The state fossil provision was championed by Cwodzinski (DFL-49, Eden Prairie), a former American government and history teacher at Eden Prairie High School. He said the idea was brought to him by students sometime around when he was first elected, though he couldn’t recall exactly when.

A classroom spark

The fossil effort began with a department-wide assignment at Central Middle School.

“Our eighth grade science department used to do a fossil unit,” said Bill Prem, one of the science teachers involved, in a Tuesday email. “A student asked me if Minnesota had a state fossil. We did some quick research and found out that we did not.”

That question led to broader discussions. Prem, whose teaching team included social studies teacher Patti Cwodzinski – Steve’s wife – encouraged the class to consider how a state fossil might be designated.

“I got in touch with Steve and asked if he would ever consider supporting the cause, and he was excited to do so if our kids did some work on determining which fossil would be a worthy choice,” Prem said.

A group of students volunteered to lead the effort. They emailed geologists, university researchers, and staff at the Science Museum of Minnesota to ask for suggestions.

“They ultimately put out four different fossils for people to vote on, and the recommendation for the giant beaver came out of that effort,” Prem said. “We didn’t directly choose the fossil and we weren’t the only ones to advance the idea, but it was still very exciting for our students to be that close to the process.”

A long road to passage

Cwodzinski introduced a bill after the student outreach began, but it didn’t advance.

“Then it kind of went away for a couple years, maybe three or four,” he said. “About three years ago, the Science Museum approached me and said, ‘Would you like to revisit it?’ And I’m like, ‘Yeah, that’d be great.’”

The museum had conducted a statewide vote involving more than 11,000 Minnesotans from 61 schools. The giant beaver – a massive Ice Age rodent – won with 25% of the vote.

“We had a hearing, and then it just didn’t go anywhere because there were so many things going on at that time at the Legislature,” Cwodzinski said. “The chair of the State and Local Government Committee didn’t feel it was an appropriate bill to pass at that time — for whatever reason.”

This year, the designation was included in the final state government bill after a short hearing.

“We only had eight minutes to testify,” he said. “I got, like, two minutes, then the Science Museum got 2 1/2 minutes, and then the Bell Museum got 2 1/2 minutes – and that’s all we got. And then next thing I know, it’s in the final bill.”

A museum favorite

The Science Museum of Minnesota and the Bell Museum, both in St. Paul, publicly supported the state fossil bill, with representatives from each testifying during a brief hearing earlier this session.

Holly Menninger, executive director of the Bell Museum, and Alex Hastings, Fitzpatrick Chair of Paleontology at the Science Museum of Minnesota, appeared alongside Cwodzinski to advocate for the designation, with fossils of the giant beaver displayed on the table before them.

“The one animal that gets the biggest WOW from our Bell Museum visitors is not the life-sized woolly mammoth, but the giant beaver (Castoroides ohioensis) – presented as a life-size model on a glacier, alongside a jaw fossil collected from Blaine,” Menninger said in an email on Tuesday.

“We’re thrilled that Minnesota now has an official state fossil – and are grateful for the team effort by lawmakers, engaged students and community members and museum colleagues to recognize and celebrate our state’s incredible natural history,” Menninger added.

Hastings said the fossil’s designation reflects years of public engagement and education.

“It has been such a team effort, and after four years of working hard at getting this passed, it almost feels surreal that we’ve been able to get it all the way to the governor’s desk,” Hastings wrote in a Tuesday email. “We have spent countless hours talking with the public about this across the state, and it is so gratifying that we are on the cusp of making it official. I can’t wait for even more Minnesotans to learn about this amazing animal and the impressive fossil history of our state!”

A Hadrosaur alternative

Not all fossil ideas came from the classroom.

Cathy Bockenstedt, another longtime CMS teacher and friend of the Cwodzinskis, recalled suggesting a different candidate – the Hadrosaur – during a conversation at a social gathering.

“Steve brought up the search for a state fossil when my husband and I were hanging out with him and his wife,” Bockenstedt said Tuesday in an email. “I immediately offered the Hadrosaur as an idea, and he asked me to send him something on it.”

She did – including a one-page write-up that referenced a Hadrosaur tailbone fossil found in Crow Wing County. But the Science Museum had already begun championing the giant beaver.

“A few years later, he texted me to say that the giant beaver was, indeed, selected,” she said. “He added that he might be able to go for a state dinosaur next year.”

Though unaware of the earlier student effort at the time, Bockenstedt praised it in hindsight. “It’s definitely thrilling to involve students in such real-world research,” she said. “Bill is a great teacher. Plus, it’s a fun way to let these fine young people know that they can have an impact in our community.”

Fun, not partisan

Cwodzinski said he appreciated the contrast between the fossil bill and other, more contentious issues that dominate the legislative session.

“So much of what we do here costs a lot of money and has a pro and a con, a protagonist and an antagonist,” he said. “But here’s a state symbol that everybody can get behind.”

More than 40 states already have official fossils, he added.

“I really thought the state song would garner all the attention and headlines,” he said. “And to find out it’s the state fossil – it’s kind of refreshing.”

When he stepped out of the Senate chamber on the day of the vote, a group of reporters briefly turned his way.

“They were waiting to talk to (Senate Majority Leader) Erin Murphy, and they happened to see me walking out and wanted to ask about the giant fossil,” he said with a laugh. “It was cute – because as soon as Erin walked out the door, they stopped talking to me.”

A fossil-sized legacy

Castoroides ohioensis, a prehistoric cousin of today’s beaver, once swam through glacial lakes and rivers across what is now Minnesota. It could grow up to seven feet long and weigh more than 200 pounds.

“It’s not like – I think high school kids might think it’s a giant, like a T. rex – and then they find out it’s the size of a hippopotamus,” Cwodzinski said. “I guess that’d be a good analogy.”

And as for any potential opposition?

“All the individuals that maybe would be opposed to this being the state fossil died 10,000 years ago,” he joked.

But for Cwodzinski, the real value of the bill lies in its origin.

“I just love that the genesis came from eighth grade kids studying earth science,” he said. “And that maybe when kids study their state symbols in third or fifth grade, and then study fossils in seventh or eighth grade, they’ll be able to say there’s a Minnesota fossil. That’d be great.”

In a statement issued after the bill’s passage, Cwodzinski added:

“I want to express my thanks to the eighth graders who brought this idea forward. It’s not every day that state government and paleontology interact, and it’s wonderful to have our classrooms so involved in the legislative process. Thanks to their advocacy, Minnesota will now have a state fossil. I hope our young Minnesotans continue to pursue and promote civic engagement. The health of our democracy relies on the participation of ‘We’ the People.”