The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is proposing new protections for the eastern hellbender five years after denying endangered status for the state’s official amphibian.
“This is definitely a massive win for the species, for the habitats and the areas in which they thrive,” said Ted Evgeniadis, the Lower Susquehanna Riverkeeper.
Evgeniadis’s organization, along with the Center for Biological Diversity and others, sued in 2021 over Fish and Wildlife Service’s 2019 determination that the eastern hellbender did not warrant protection. Last year a federal judge vacated the 2019 decision and ordered a new finding.
The eastern hellbender – which can grow to be 29 inches long and live up to 30 years – breathes through its skin, and needs cool, clean water to thrive. Its population has been shrinking, due to stream sedimentation, poor water quality, disease, habitat loss and collection for use as a pet, according to FWS.
The Lower Susquehanna Riverkeeper Association said extreme storms due to climate change are also devastating hellbender populations. In a statement on the proposed listing, it said, “Hurricane Helene destroyed the healthiest part of their range in North Carolina, and forest damage and contamination from the storm will continue to pollute these areas.”
Less than 60% of documented hellbender populations still exist. Of those, only 12% are stable and 59% are in decline, according to FWS. Eastern hellbenders historically were found across Alabama, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Maryland, Mississippi, Missouri, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia.
The Ozark hellbender, a separate subspecies that’s found in Missouri and Arkansas, was listed as an endangered species in 2011.
The federal Endangered Species Act prohibits harming, harassing or killing a species listed as endangered.
That creates restrictions for developers who want to build in an area where the hellbender lives.
Whether it’s a gas station, a shopping center, or a housing development, Evgeniadis said, “it makes it much more difficult [to get permits], because earth disturbing activities are going to affect critical water resource areas.”
Evgeniadis noted there are risks for environmental protections under incoming president Donald Trump. In his first administration, Trump rolled back 125 environmental safeguards, according to tracking by the Washington Post.
“It’s yet to be seen what could potentially happen,” Evgeniadis said. “Some of the rollbacks that we saw were pretty much unprecedented rollbacks.”
Evgeniadis said he hopes the proposal leads to more federal and state resources going to help protect and restore the hellbender population and habitat in Pennsylvania.
The Fish and Wildlife Service’s proposed listing is subject to a 60-day public comment period, which closes at 11:59 p.m. EST on Feb. 11, 2025. To comment on the proposed listing, people can go to regulations.gov, search for docket number FWS-R3-ES-2024-0152, then click “comment.”
Written comments can also be mailed to: Public Comments Processing, Attn: FWS-R3-ES-2024-0152, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, MS: PRB/3W, 5275 Leesburg Pike, Falls Church, VA 22041-3803.
This story is produced in partnership with StateImpact Pennsylvania, a collaboration among WESA, The Allegheny Front, WITF and WHYY.
