The Chesapeake Bay Foundation is urging citizens to submit comments to the US Fish and Wildlife Service supporting the proposed designation of the Eastern Hellbender-- Pennsylvania's clean water ambassador-- as an endangered species.

The eastern hellbender is the largest salamander species in North America, growing up to two feet long, and can be found in cool, clean rivers and streams throughout the Chesapeake Bay Watershed and in Western Pennsylvania.

Hellbenders are clear indicators of clean water, as they are very sensitive to pollution.

If you see one in a stream, you know that water is healthy and can support a lot of life.

A hundred or more years of deforestation, acid rain and mine drainage, development, and industrialization has reduced the hellbenders current range only to the most pristine streams.

Many advocates, including dedicated CBF student leaders in Pennsylvania, have led effective efforts to draw attention to the plight of the hellbender and its critical role in our fight for clean water.

Our student leaders even spearheaded a successful campaign (appearing on the front page of the Wall Street Journal along the way!) to recognize the eastern hellbender as Pennsylvania's state amphibian, drafting the bill that eventually was passed in 2019.

"The eastern hellbender has every right to be here. It is our job as stewards of our nation's natural resources to ensure that this species has a fighting chance to persist in our waterways as an indicator species of the health of our rivers and streams," said CBF's PA Student Leadership Council President Anna Pauletta in 2016.

Federal protection under the Endangered Species Act is incredibly effective at garnering strong protection against further population loss—protection that the eastern hellbender deserves.

These efforts will also give umbrella safeguards to thousands of other species that rely on clean rivers and streams.       

Click Here to take action.  The deadline is February 11.

For more on Chesapeake Bay-related issues in Pennsylvania, visit the Chesapeake Bay Foundation-PA webpage.  Click Here to sign up for Pennsylvania updates (bottom of left column).  Click Here to support their work.

Also visit the Keystone 10 Million Trees Partnership to learn how you can help clean water grow on trees.

CBF has over 275,000 members in Bay Watershed.

How Clean Is Your Stream?

The draft 2024 report has an interactive report viewer that allows you to zoom in to your own address to see if the streams near you are impaired and why.

Click Here to check out your streams.  Click Here for a tutorial on using the viewer.

Resource Links:

-- Williamsport Sun Letter: Endangered Listing Long Overdue For Eastern Hellbender - By Anna Pauletta, One Of Original Hellbender Defenders As A Student

-- ‘Hellbender Defenders’ Say Endangered Species Listing For North America’s Largest Salamander Is Long Overdue  [PaEN]

-- Original Student 'Hellbender Defenders' Celebrate 5-Year Anniversary Of PA's Official State Amphibian And Clean Water Ambassador  [PaEN]

-- Agencies Celebrate Eastern Hellbender License Plate Recognizing PA’s Clean Water Ambassador; Gas Development On DCNR Land Threatens Habitat  [PaEN]

-- US Fish And Wildlife Service Seeks Public Comment On Proposed Listing Of Eastern Hellbender As Endangered - PA’s Clean Water Ambassador  [PaEN]

Related Articles - Watersheds:

-- PennVEST Approves $288.2 Million Investment In 39 Water Infrastructure Projects In 24 Counties; Almost All Federal Funding Now Frozen  [PaEN]

-- New Federal Administration Issues Executive Order Declaring A National Energy Emergency; Order Repealing Other Energy, Climate Orders; Regulatory Freeze  [PaEN]

-- Sen. Yaw To Introduce Bill To Use Revenue From Taxing Gambling Skill Games To Support Agriculture Conservation Assistance Program  [PaEN]

-- Registration Open! Shamokin Creek Restoration Alliance June 4-5 Mine Pools As Beneficial Resources Conference At Bucknell University  [PaEN]

-- Penn State Extension Master Watershed Steward Program - A Look Back At 2024 [PaEN]

-- Master Watershed Steward Bethany Canner Leads Community Events In Lebanon County  [PaEN]

-- PASA Sustainable Agriculture Recognizes Innovation, Collaboration In 2025 Pasabilities Awards  [PaEN]

-- PA Grazing Lands Coalition Now Accepting Applications For Educational Mini-Grants  [PaEN]

-- Agricultural Producers: Use CHEMSWEEP To Dispose Of Unwanted Pesticides On Your Farm Until March 31  [PaEN]

-- Delaware River Basin Commission To Hold Feb. 5 Hearing, March 12 Business Meeting  [PaEN]

-- NOAA Now Accepting Applications For K-12 Environmental Literacy Grants For Delaware Bay Watershed; Applicant Webinars  [PaEN]

-- DCNR, Penn State Extension Feb. 14 Meaningful Watershed Education Workshop At Greenwood Furnace State Park, Huntingdon County  [PaEN]

-- Take Action Now! Chesapeake Bay Foundation Urging Watershed Citizens To Support Designation Of Eastern Hellbender As An Endangered Species   [PaEN]

-- ‘Hellbender Defenders’ Say Endangered Species Listing For North America’s Largest Salamander Is Long Overdue  [PaEN] 

-- Warren Times: Our Biggest Resolution - Our Commitment To The Planet That Sustains Us - By Mac Dawson, Nature Educator, Audubon Community Nature Center   [PaEN]

NewsClips:

-- Post-Gazette - Anya Litvak: Billions Have Been Allocated To PA From Federal Bipartisan Infrastructure, Inflation Reduction Acts, New Administration Ordered Halt To Disbursements  [Water Infrastructure, Mine Reclamation, Conventional Oil & Gas Well Plugging, $396 million in RISE PA decarbonization funding]

-- CanaryMedia.com: Executive Order Freezes Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, Inflation Reduction Act Funding For 90 Day Review [Water Infrastructure, Mine Reclamation, Conventional Oil & Gas Well Plugging, $396 million in RISE PA decarbonization funding]

-- Chesapeake Bay Journal: ‘Ticking Time Bombs’: Nearly 100 Coal Ash Dumps Pepper Chesapeake Bay Watershed

-- LehighValleyLive: PFAS ‘Forever Chemicals’ In Sewage Sludge Fertilizer May Pose Risk To Humans, EPA Warns

-- JD Supra: EPA Identifies Significant Concerns For Ag Producers Due To Biosolids That Contain PFAS ‘Forever Chemicals’

-- Williamsport Sun Letter: Endangered Listing Long Overdue For Eastern Hellbender - By Anna Pauletta, One Of Original Hellbender Defenders As A Student

-- WHYY - Zoe Read: 3 Years After Hurricane Ida, Study Aims To Prepare Communities Along The Brandywine For Future Storms

-- Delaware River Basin Commission Seeks Members For Several Advisory Committees

-- Delaware RiverKeeper Jan. 24 RiverWatch Video Report

[Posted: January 24, 2025]

1/27/2025