Law Names Wooly Mammoth SC Fossil

COLUMBIA, S.C. (WOLO) — “You don’t have to be little, you don’t have to be big. You just have to be yourself,” says Olivia McConnell, 8 years old That’s the advice Olivia McConnell gives to anyone who wants to make a difference just as she did through her letter to Governor Nikki Haley last October. “She noticed that South Carolina didn’t have a state fossil,” says Governor Nikki Haley, R- South Carolina In the letter, Olivia stated why the state needs a fossil. “I didn’t want the history to be lost. I had to do something about it,” says McConnell Tuesday, Haley signed the bill into law. It was a milestone moment for Olivia, but one that didn’t come easy. Some lawmakers said the bill, now law, raised questions about creationism and how many symbols the state should have. “I know that there are legislators that think it doesn’t matter or they think that it’s frivolous, or they think it’s not important. It is important to the life of a child,” says Haley Senator Kevin Johnson and Representative Robert Ridgeway helped with the legislation. “Olivia’s actions taught all of us a lesson, a lesson in perseverance and in hard work,” says Sen. Johnson, D- District 36 “This bill wasn’t about fossils. It was about children and our ability to support children when they feel something is important,” says Rep. Ridgeway, D- District 64 Olivia, joined by fellow classmates, apparently has a knack for fossils. “From the time that she could walk, she’s been digging in the yard for fossils because her great grandfather was an avid collector of arrow heads,” says Amanda McConnell, Olivia’s mother. “When something is wrong, something has to be done about it. You just can’t let it go,” says Olivia McConnell