The US Fish and Wildlife Service announced on Dec. 12, 2024, that it is proposing listing the Eastern hellbender as endangered nationally in response to a petition from several non-governmental organizations in an agency press release.

“Our association’s goal has been to give a voice to this vulnerable species, especially in a watershed where local experts suggest up to 95 percent of its natural habitat has been lost due to numerous factors,” said Middle Susquehanna Riverkeeper John Zaktansky. “The hellbender needs clean water to survive and despite it being in our waterways for a long time, there is much we don’t know about the species that will help us better support its survival.”

Dr. Peter Petokas, a regional hellbender expert with nearly two decades of experience agreed.

“It has taken far too long for state and federal agencies to recognize the plight of the Eastern hellbender. The species seriously merits protection under the Endangered Species Act (ESA) and the consideration that it will be proposed for Endangered Species status rather than Threatened is a signal that the salamander is in much greater danger than previously thought,” he said. “I applaud the action by USFWS to correct its earlier decision not to protect the Eastern Hellbender throughout its entire range and sincerely hope that the proposal will be effected to ensure that that our efforts to restore healthy populations of this unique salamander will have a successful outcome in the long-term and that the species will continue to be a significant component of North American biodiversity.”