Endangered listing long overdue
As one of the original “Hellbender Defenders,” I am ecstatic that the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) is proposing to include the Eastern Hellbender under the Endangered Species Act.
I was president of the Chesapeake Bay Foundation’s Student Leadership Council when our successful campaign to designate the hellbender as Pennsylvania’s official state amphibian began in 2016.
The hellbender demonstrates the importance of clean water and healthy aquatic ecosystems. It is a symbol of perseverance as we work together to solve environmental issues and highlights the impact a small group of motivated environmentalists can have on the trajectory of a species.
Wildlife biologists have been following Eastern Hellbender population declines for nearly two decades. A lack of research surrounding hellbender populations has often been cited for the lack of legal protection status.
The widespread extirpations across this species’ historical range and the slew of threats contributing to hellbender habitat destruction are finally getting some well-deserved recognition by USFWS with this proposal. Listing the Eastern Hellbender as an Endangered species is long-overdue.
Extinction is forever; we can never bring back these species once they are lost. I want my children and grandchildren to have the opportunity to see these animals outside of encyclopedias.
The Eastern Hellbender has every right to be here. It is our job as stewards of our nation’s natural resources to ensure that this species has a fighting chance to persist in our waterways as an indicator species of the health of our rivers and streams.
ANNA PAULETTA
Mechanicsburg
Submitted by Virtual Newsroom