Gov. Gavin Newsom has been busy in recent weeks signing bills on everything from housing policy to prescription drug costs. But he also signed legislation last week that included two new symbols for California.

The Golden State officially named the giant garter snake as the state snake. The reptile is only found in California, though its population has shrunk by more than 90% in the past century due to habitat loss. It's endemic to the Central California region and has been classified as "threatened" since 1971 by the California Endangered Species Act and since 1993 by the Federal Endangered Species Act.

The new designation will help raise awareness of the species and the dangers to its survival. The snake is truly giant -- reaching up to 64 inches in length -- and is mostly found near flood basins in the Central Valley, from Butte County to Kern County.

"The declaration to make the threatened giant garter snake the State Snake of California is not just symbolic, but will educate hundreds of thousands of students each year about California's unique wildlife and ecosystems, inspiring them to take action to conserve these important natural resources," Michael Starkey, founder of Save the Snakes, a nonprofit snake conservation organization, told SFGATE in an email.

California also gained an official state shrub, the bigberry manzanita. The plant, which can grow as large as a small tree, is emblematic of the state's resilience. It propagates largely by wildfire, taking root in dry, nutrient-poor soils after fire aids in cracking its seeds. A useful rebuilding tool, the green shrub with white flowers can also prevent erosion with its radially spreading root system -- an especially helpful trait in burn scar locations.

"Our state symbols celebrate California's uniqueness, especially our distinctive ecosystems. California is a global biodiversity hotspot, with both the highest total number of species and the highest number of endemic species in the United States -- including our new state shrub and snake," Newsom wrote in a statement.

California has 2 new state symbols