Defenders of Wildlife and our partners in the Southeastern Hellbender Conservation Initiative, including the Conservation Management Institute at Virginia Tech, the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service and many others, have secured over $1.2 million to hire three partner biologists to implement conservation measures for the hellbender, the largest salamander in North America and one of the most threatened.
The biologists will work with private landowners through the Working Lands for Wildlife program, which supports farmers using conservation practices on their lands that improves water quality and restores hellbender habitat. The funding is available through a National Fish and Wildlife Foundation grant.
The hellbender, a large aquatic salamander native to several states throughout the Appalachian region, is struggling to survive habitat loss and degradation.
Statement from Defenders of Wildlife Southeast Program Field Conservation Representative Kat Diersen:
“Hellbenders are fascinating creatures, ancient giants of Appalachian waterways. This is a great step on the path to recovery for the hellbender. Wildlife conservation doesn’t happen in a vacuum; it’s a team effort. This grant will help the Southeastern Hellbender Conservation Initiative work directly with farmers and landowners to protect the habitat this Appalachian icon needs to survive and thrive.”
For nearly 80 years, Defenders of Wildlife has worked to protect and restore America’s wildlife at risk of extinction, advancing a vision of a future in which wildlife thrives, sustained by broad public support and a resilient network of healthy lands and waters. With a network of more than 2 million supporters, Defenders is an advocate for innovative solutions to safeguard wildlife for generations to come. To learn more, please visit https://defenders.org/newsroom or follow us on Instagram @defendersofwildlife.
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