Mass. nominates female official groundhog

BOSTON, Jan. 31 (UPI) -- Massachusetts lawmakers have nominated a female woodchuck as the state's official groundhog, a move that would make her the first female to hold such a title.

The legislators, tired of turning to Pennsylvania's Punxsutawney Phil on Groundhog Day, nominated Ms. G -- short for Groundhog -- to be the first official groundhog of the state, the Boston Globe reported Thursday.

"What does Punxsutawney Phil know about Massachusetts?" said Christy Foote-Smith, sanctuary director at the Massachusetts Audubon Society's Drumlin Farm, where the 4-year-old Ms. G resides. "We need our own groundhog."

Most states give the job to male groundhogs, because they tend to rise from hibernation earlier than their female counterparts, who normally wait in their dens at the end of winter until the males arrive for mating. However, officials said the time has come for groundhog equality.

"Don't you think the nation is ready for an official female groundhog?" said Audubon spokeswoman Jan Kruse.

The state Legislature is expected to consider the nomination this year.

"She's currently running unopposed," Kruse said. "But who knows, there may be a strong write-in candidate."