The Eastern Hellbender, the largest salamander in North America, needs your help to get it across the finish line to endangered species protection. In December, the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service announced a proposal to list the Eastern Hellbender as an endangered species throughout its 15-state range under the Endangered Species Act. The Hellbender is an ancient species of giant salamander which is native to the Susquehanna River and its tributaries, among other clear, fast-flowing mountain streams. It has seen large-scale declines in much of its original range.

This proposal is open for public comment until February 11, 2025. We are asking you to submit comments in support of the proposal to protect the Eastern Helbender under the Endangered Species Act. It’s urgent that the Fish & Wildlife Service finalize this protection so that Hellbenders get a comprehensive recovery plan and the on-the-ground habitat protection they need to recover.

There are two ways you can submit comments.

1. Submit your own comments by February 11 here: https://www.regulations.gov/document/FWS-R3-ES-2024-0152-0001 using the template below. More detailed information about Hellbenders here.

2. Sign our petition by February 10 and we will submit the comments on your behalf.

* COMMENT TEMPLATE * Adapt it to your own experience and supportive data *

Dear U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service,

I strongly support the proposal to list the Eastern Hellbender as endangered under the Endangered Species Act (ESA). This species, a critical indicator of clean and healthy ecosystems, has experienced devastating population declines across its 15-state range, with over 80% of its historic habitat lost.

The threats to Hellbenders—sedimentation, development, dams, mining, oil and gas extraction, climate change, disease, and extreme weather—are interwoven and require immediate, coordinated action. Sedimentation buries the flat rocks needed for nesting and survival, while rising temperatures and extreme drought impair their ability to feed and reproduce. These challenges are compounded by diseases like chytrid fungus, which become more lethal at higher temperatures.

In some of the previously healthiest parts of the Hellbender’s range, populations recently experienced a catastrophic event in Hurricane Helene. With extreme storms becoming the norm, it’s urgent that Eastern Hellbender receive Endangered Species Act protection.

Listing the Eastern Hellbender as endangered would provide essential resources and motivate partnerships for habitat restoration and species recovery. For Hellbenders to recover, they need habitat protection, a comprehensive recovery plan, and ongoing funding. ESA protection would bring coordinated oversight of augmentation programs to ensure that distinct genetic lineages are preserved. This action is critical for conserving not only the Hellbender but also the clean, cool freshwater streams and ecosystems it represents. Hellbenders are a sentinel of clean water and protecting them would protect thousands of other freshwater plants and animals.

North America’s largest salamander deserves better. Please promptly finalize protection for Eastern Hellbenders to make sure these amazing salamanders survive for future generations. The longer they have to wait for protection to be finalized, the more difficult and expensive it will become to ensure their recovery.