Twenty years ago, third- and fourth-graders helped make pumpkin the state fruit of New Hampshire. Now, that idea is inspiring kids in Northern Nevada. It all started last year, after some Sage Elementary School students read the book “See How They Run,” Levi Tatum explained.
“It was talking about how kids pass laws in their states, and we kind of wanted to do something like that, so we searched up, like, what do we have in Nevada, and we found out we don’t have a state fruit, and then we researched what fruits we do have in Nevada, and that’s how we found the elderberry,” Tatum said.
Next, the students learned more about the blue elderberry, a large native shrub or small tree that grows on mountain slopes and near streams in canyons throughout the state.
“It has a very good history. A lot of Native Americans from Nevada did use it for their own health. They used it like, for medicines,” Macy Matson said.
Indigenous communities also used the plant to make musical instruments, such as clappers and flutes. And not only does the blue elderberry have abundant medicinal benefits – it also tastes good, said Stella Holferty.
“It’s kind of like grape juice, if you mix it with apple juice, it’s like a bitterish sweetness,” Holferty said. “It's very good for your immune system, and heart health, and your digestive system.”
Then came the next step: getting the government involved. The students wrote to their elected officials, each contributing a paragraph. Rita Garcia read a part of their letter.
“We live at the base of the Ruby Mountains, and are able to go up to Lamiolle Canyon during the summer to find them. Elderberries make delicious jams, jellies, syrups, pies, and more. We think blue elderberries would be a great state fruit because they are blue, like one of our state colors,” Garcia said.
Republican Assemblymember Burt Gurr took notice and vowed to introduce a bill during the next legislative session to make blue elderberry the state fruit. He warned it might not be easy.
“I was a little skeptical about it until I read the letter they sent, and I was able to meet with them and their enthusiasm, and it’s just inspired me to go forward,” Gurr said. “They’re going to learn a lot about civics, about how our government works.”
Their biggest takeaway so far?
“Politics takes a long time,” the students giggled.
Gurr invited the students to participate in the process in Carson City. The next legislative session doesn’t begin until February 2027.
If approved, the blue elderberry would join other iconic Nevada state symbols, like the mountain bluebird, bighorn sheep, and sagebrush.
