The eastern hellbender salamander is Pennsylvania’s state amphibian. The species is designated as Vulnerable by the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species, and as State Impact Pennsylvania recently reported, it has a shot at renewed federal protections. But why is it so important?
The hellbender is the largest salamander in North America and can live up to 30 years. In order to thrive and reproduce, the hellbender requires exceptional stream quality. The salamander is an indicator species—healthy hellbenders indicate a healthy stream. It’s important to monitor for hellbenders to track the health of Pennsylvania watersheds so conservationists can act swiftly to remediate possible damage to the ecosystem.
That’s why Colcom funds watershed monitoring efforts, such as those of Mountain Watershed Association (MWA). Since 2011, Colcom has provided more than $850,000 in funding to MWA for water monitoring and remediation efforts. Recently, MWA partnered with Western Pennsylvania Conservancy to look for hellbenders in the Youghiogheny Watershed.
Photo credit: Mountain Watershed Association