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There’s more than just notoriety that comes with being designated the official symbol of a state.

In the case of the Eastern hellbender, survival of the species is on the line.

Earlier this month, state Sen. Gene Yaw, R-Williamsport, proposed legislation that would designate the Eastern hellbender as the state amphibian.

Hellbenders are North America’s largest salamander and they can reach two feet in length, or more. But the population in Pennsylvania and other states has been declining, and the designation of state amphibian could give the hellbender some much-needed attention.

The push behind the designation originated with the Chesapeake Bay Foundation’s Student Leadership Council, which has studied the hellbender and collaborated with Dr. Peter Petokas, noted research associate at the Clean Water Institute at Lycoming College.

Petokas has studied hellbenders for 12 years and said the distribution of the species in Pennsylvania is only 5 to 10 percent of what it used to be.

“In 12 years I’ve caught almost 3,000 hellbenders, all from four watersheds. I’m not finding them anywhere else,” Petokas said, adding that all hellbender populations in Pennsylvania are in watersheds above Sunbury.

“In New York, the populations in the North Branch of the Susquehanna River are gone, and here the streams in the West Branch of the river no longer have them. It’s been a long-term loss.”

Hellbenders survive where there’s cold, clear, swift-running water. They prefer rocky streambeds. Their sponge-like bodies allow them to squeeze into crevices which they use for protection and for nesting. The slimy salamanders feed at night, primarily on crayfish. Folds of wrinkled skin provide a large surface through which they draw most of their oxygen.

Sediment that has buried many of the large rocks that hellbenders live under, and pollution has degraded water quality in many of it’s former habitats.

Petokas pointed to the Loyalsock Creek in Lycoming County as one example of how serious the hellbender decline is in the state.

In 2006, he said, the hellbender population rapidly spiraled downward and today it is virtually non-existent.

Petokas suspects disease is to blame, and he’s concerned the same population drop can happen elsewhere.

“In Loyalsock Creek we lost a population. Sure, I can go there and find one or two animals, but I used to catch 50 to 75,” Petokas said. “I think it’s dire. If the Loyalsock Creek watershed can go down, what’s going to happen to the other three watersheds where hellbenders are found?”

Despite the significant drop in numbers, the Eastern hellbender isn’t listed as threatened or endangered on either the state or federal level. Petokas said the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is reviewing the species for the possibility of listing it, but until that happens, there’s only minimal protection for hellbenders in the state.

Petokas said the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission, which is charged with managing all fish, reptile and amphibian species, has a “no-take” rule in place for hellbenders, but there is no additional protection.

That’s why Petokas is hoping the designation as the state’s official amphibian becomes a reality. Not only would it raise awareness about the plight of the hellbender, but new funding could become available for habitat and restoration work.

Still, when Petokas was approached by the members of the student council about the idea of the state amphibian designation, he was apprehensive.

“If we make it the state amphibian and it goes extinct how are we going to deal with that?” Petokas said.

But the more Petokas thought about the idea, and as the students continued to push for his support, he decided the designation could do nothing but help.

Not only would the designation raise awareness and possibly money, Petokas said, but it could also help with hellbender habitat when stream restoration work is done after impacts from construction projects.

“When that work is done it’s for fish, but it needs to include hellbender habitat as well,” Petokas said. “There’s no pressure from any agency in the state to require that.

“Here we are on the verge of possibly listing the hellbender federally, but we’re not doing any now.”

Petokas praised the efforts of the Chesapeake Bay Foundation and its Student Leadership Council and emphasized that, short of a threatened or endangered listing, the state amphibian designation is the best thing that could happen for the hellbender.

“What the students are doing is great,” Petokas said. “I’m depending on them.”

And so is the survival of the Eastern hellbender.

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Developing hellbender eggs that were laid in a concrete nest box installed in a stream by Petokas and students.
https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/web1_Petokas2-1.jpg.optimal.jpgDeveloping hellbender eggs that were laid in a concrete nest box installed in a stream by Petokas and students. Courtesy of Dr. Peter Petokas

Dr. Peter Petokas holds an Eastern hellbender he calls “Big Momma,” which measures 26 inches long. Petokas said the adult female is the largest hellbender caught in 11 years.
https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/web1_Petokas1-1.jpg.optimal.jpgDr. Peter Petokas holds an Eastern hellbender he calls “Big Momma,” which measures 26 inches long. Petokas said the adult female is the largest hellbender caught in 11 years. Courtesy of Dr. Peter Petokas

https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/web1_Hellbender.jpg.optimal.jpgCourtesy of Dr. Peter Petokas

By Tom Venesky

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Find out more

The Chesapeake Bay Foundation’s Student Leadership Program is open to all high school students and is designed to give them a voice and an active role in clean water efforts in Pennsylvania.

For more information about the campaign for the Eastern hellbender, go to cbf.org/hellbender.

Reach Tom Venesky at 570-991-6395 or on Twitter @TomVenesky