You always remember the first encounter with a giant salamander, recalls Andy Hill.
As a teenager, he found himself standing in the Watauga River near Boone, North Carolina, casting a fishing line on a crisp autumn day when he spotted his first eastern hellbender. This impressive salamander measured about 2 feet in length and blended seamlessly among the rocks submerged in the pristine waters.
“You never lose your sense of wonder and the surreal nature of seeing one,” said Hill, who now serves as the Watauga Riverkeeper for MountainTrue, a nonprofit organization dedicated to preserving natural ecosystems in western North Carolina, a region that is part of the majestic Blue Ridge Mountains.
This ancient species, which dates back to the time when the supercontinent Pangaea existed and has survived through the age of dinosaurs, was nominated for federal protection by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service recently. If the nomination is approved following a public comment period, these salamanders will receive protections under the Endangered Species Act.
In recent years, the population of hellbenders in the U.S. has plummeted. Threats such as dams, industrial activities, and floods exacerbated by climate change have severely affected their habitats, as well as their capacity to reproduce and secure food. Alarmingly, only 12% of eastern hellbenders are currently managing to reproduce successfully.
The population of hellbenders throughout the Blue Ridge Mountains was once regarded as the healthiest among eastern subspecies, but Hurricane Helene has proven disastrous this fall—many salamanders were displaced or discovered lifeless among debris. Some were even found tucked away in flooded church basements and returned to the river, but distressingly, certain rivers remain so contaminated that there are advisories against any human contact.
Tierra Curry, a senior scientist at the Center for Biological Diversity, was overwhelmed with emotion upon hearing about the proposed protection measures. “It truly feels like a moral failure that we are pushing them to the brink of extinction,” she remarked.
The eastern hellbender, with its slippery, brown body and broad, flat head, may not win accolades for beauty, but it holds the title of the largest amphibian in North America.
This creature relies on dissolved oxygen present in the water for breathing through its skin. Unfortunately, water that is stagnant, warm, or polluted contains significantly less oxygen.
To enhance water quality and restore hellbender populations, two dams on the Watauga River were taken down over the past five years. The most recent one was removed just this past summer, but only two months later, Hurricane Helene disrupted life for both humans and wildlife, including these salamanders.
For individuals dedicated to the survival of the species, the proposed federal protections arrived just in time, according to Erin McCombs, Southeast conservation director for American Rivers. “It is essential for us to focus more on the condition of our nation’s rivers and streams, which includes paying attention to the wildlife that inhabit them,” she stated. “When a species like the hellbender, which requires clean, free-flowing water, is in decline, that should raise alarm bells, as consumers will likely feel the repercussions next.”
The Center for Biological Diversity had previously succeeded in petitioning for the protection of the Ozark subspecies of hellbenders in 2011 and similarly for another population of eastern hellbenders in Missouri back in 2021. The organization has pursued legal action to obtain protection for all eastern hellbenders. As it stands, every hellbender species in the United States is either currently protected or on track to receive protections under the Endangered Species Act.
Hill expressed his hope that the newly proposed federal safeguards will lead to “bold strategies” aimed at revitalizing the species. “It’s going to require a tremendous collective effort,” he concluded.