Return to Wildland Fire
Return to Northern Bobwhite site
Return to Working Lands for Wildlife site
Return to Working Lands for Wildlife site
Return to SE Firemap
Return to the Landscape Partnership Literature Gateway Website
RETURN TO LANDSCAPE PARTNERSHIP SITE
return to main site

Skip to content. | Skip to navigation

Sections

Personal tools

You are here: Home

Search results

RSS Subscribe to an always-updated RSS feed.

77 items matching your search terms.
Filter the results.
Item type
























New items since



Sort by relevance · date (newest first) · alphabetically
Are Hellbenders Found Downstream of the Ohio Train Derailment Really a Sign That the Water is Safe?
by Kat Diersen — published Mar 29, 2023 — last modified Nov 03, 2023 09:34 PM — filed under: , , , , , , , , , , ,
Ohio authorities have called the recent capture and release of two hellbenders downstream from the site of a train derailment and toxic chemical spill a 'positive discovery,' because hellbenders are an indicator of a healthy aquatic ecosystem, but the reality is more complicated.
Located in News & Events
Story application/x-troff-ms Addressing Sedimentation Threats
by Rosanne Hessmiller — published Dec 02, 2024 — last modified Jun 04, 2025 11:33 PM — filed under: , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
Rivers and streams are the lifeblood of our environment, home to a stunning array of wildlife, from fish and amphibians to the aquatic insects that form the foundation of the food chain. However, these ecosystems are under growing threat from sedimentation and siltation. When excess soil and fine particles wash into waterways, they cloud the water, smother habitats, and disrupt the delicate balance that sustains aquatic life. The consequences ripple throughout the food chain, from the tiniest insects to the largest fish, threatening sensitive species like the Eastern hellbender and endangering fisheries.
Located in Stories
Story Cozying Up for Winter: The Bog Turtle’s Seasonal Slumber
by Brian Rhodes — published Jan 08, 2025 — last modified Jun 04, 2025 11:33 PM — filed under: , , , , ,
While we sip hot cocoa, these remarkable reptiles tuck themselves away, waiting for the warmth of spring to awaken their vibrant world again.
Located in Stories
Hellbender Proposed for Endangered Species Act Protection: A Call to Action for Aquatic Conservation
by Brian Rhodes — published Dec 16, 2024 — last modified Dec 16, 2024 10:01 AM — filed under: , , , ,
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) has proposed to protect the Eastern Hellbender (Cryptobranchus alleganiensis) as endangered under the Endangered Species Act. This proposal addresses the dramatic decline in Hellbender populations due to habitat loss, water pollution, and other factors. The proposal builds on years of collaborative conservation work and scientific study, highlighting the need to safeguard this species to maintain the health of freshwater ecosystems. This proposed rule would extend protection to hellbenders across their range, from New York to Georgia.
Located in News
First-of-Its-Kind Study Inventories New Mexican Beaver Dams
by Web Editor — published Jun 19, 2025 — last modified Jun 19, 2025 03:59 PM — filed under: , , , , ,
As part of Defenders of Wildlife’s beaver conservation initiative, a new survey, which has never been conducted in New Mexico, reveals an uneven distribution of beaver dams — and the sub-sequential ecological benefits — throughout the state. Commissioned by Defenders, the survey is a critical tool for the future of strategic beaver and water conservation New Mexico.
Located in News
Product American Black Duck Decision Support Tool
by Rhishja Cota — published Nov 09, 2022 — last modified Jul 26, 2023 12:14 PM — filed under: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
The Atlantic Coast Joint Venture Black Duck Decision Support Tool (DST) helps to identify the exact number of acres to protect, restore or maintain at the small watershed scale. Through this tool, land managers can determine the best way to contribute to achieving black duck goals anywhere on the landscape.
Located in Information Materials / Research / Peer-reviewed Science
Population Genetics of the Eastern Hellbender (Cryptobranchus alleganiensis alleganiensis) across Multiple Spatial Scales
by Shem D. Unger, Olin E. Rhodes Jr, Trent M. Sutton, Rod N. Williams — published Feb 10, 2023 — last modified Jul 26, 2023 01:36 PM — filed under: , , , , ,
Conservation genetics is a powerful tool to assess the population structure of species and provides a framework for informing management of freshwater ecosystems. As lotic habitats become fragmented, the need to assess gene flow for species of conservation management becomes a priority. The eastern hellbender (Cryptobranchus alleganiensis alleganiensis) is a large, fully aquatic paedamorphic salamander. Many populations are experiencing declines throughout their geographic range, yet the genetic ramifications of these declines are currently unknown. To this end, we examined levels of genetic variation and genetic structure at both range-wide and drainage (hierarchical) scales. We collected 1,203 individuals from 77 rivers throughout nine states from June 2007 to August 2011. Levels of genetic diversity were relatively high among all sampling locations. We detected significant genetic structure across populations (Fst values ranged from 0.001 between rivers within a single watershed to 0.218 between states). We identified two genetically differentiated groups at the range-wide scale: 1) the Ohio River drainage and 2) the Tennessee River drainage. An analysis of molecular variance (AMOVA) based on landscape-scale sampling of basins within the Tennessee River drainage revealed the majority of genetic variation (∼94–98%) occurs within rivers. Eastern hellbenders show a strong pattern of isolation by stream distance (IBSD) at the drainage level. Understanding levels of genetic variation and differentiation at multiple spatial and biological scales will enable natural resource managers to make more informed decisions and plan effective conservation strategies for cryptic, lotic species.
Located in Information Materials / Research / Peer-reviewed Science
Importance of demographic surveys and public lands for the conservation of eastern hellbenders Cryptobranchus alleganiensis alleganiensis in southeast USA
by Michael J. Freake, Christopher S. DePerno — published Feb 10, 2023 — last modified Jul 26, 2023 01:37 PM — filed under: , , , , ,
Comparisons of recent and historic population demographic studies of eastern hellbenders Cryptobranchus alleganiensis alleganiensis have identified significant population declines and extirpations associated with habitat degradation, poor water quality and disease, leading to nomination as a candidate for listing under the Endangered Species Act. However, populations in the southern Appalachian region of the range have received less attention despite relatively high levels of watershed protection due to the establishment of federally protected National Forest and National Park public lands. These watersheds likely represent some of the best remaining available habitat, yet the lack of published studies make assessment of population stability and viability very difficult. Our objectives were to (1) conduct a capture-mark-recapture (CMR) demographic study and a point transect survey on the Hiwassee River in Tennessee which is designated a National Scenic River, and is largely contained within the Cherokee National Forest, (2) quantify the size structure of the population, (3) compare abundance, survival and recruitment with historic and contemporary hellbender populations across the range, (4) assess the importance of this population and the significance of National Forest and National Park lands in the context of hellbender population conservation in the southeastern United States. We detected all age classes present, with larval hellbenders comprising 21.5% of captures. Using a combination of static life table and CMR methods, we determined that survival rates during the first year were low (~10%), but were high (68–94%) for taggable sized hellbenders. Density of hellbenders at the study site was very high (84 taggable sized hellbenders per 100m of river) compared to recent demographic studies conducted in other regions of the range. We detected hellbenders over ~28 km of river, with a mean density of 23 taggable sized hellbenders per 100m of river, and a total population estimate of 6440 taggable hellbenders. National Forest and National Park lands are likely to continue to play a particularly important role in providing suitable habitat for hellbenders in the southern Appalachians. In fact, only six of 21 known hellbender locations in Tennessee appear to show consistent larval recruitment, all of which are located within or adjacent to National Forest or National Park land.
Located in Information Materials / Research / Peer-reviewed Science
Pathogenic Chytrid Fungus Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis, but Not B. salamandrivorans, Detected on Eastern Hellbenders
by Emma K. Bales, Oliver J. Hyman, Andrew H. Loudon, Reid N. Harris, Gregory Lipps, Eric Chapman, Kenneth Roblee, John D. Kleopfer, Kimberly A. Terrell — published Feb 10, 2023 — last modified Jul 26, 2023 01:37 PM — filed under: , , , , ,
Recent worldwide declines and extinctions of amphibian populations have been attributed to chytridiomycosis, a disease caused by the pathogenic fungus Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (Bd). Until recently, Bd was thought to be the only Batrachochytrium species that infects amphibians; however a newly described species, Batrachochytrium salamandrivorans (Bs), is linked to die-offs in European fire salamanders (Salamandra salamandra). Little is known about the distribution, host range, or origin of Bs. In this study, we surveyed populations of an aquatic salamander that is declining in the United States, the eastern hellbender (Cryptobranchus alleganiensis alleganiensis), for the presence of Bs and Bd. Skin swabs were collected from a total of 91 individuals in New York, Pennsylvania, Ohio, and Virginia, and tested for both pathogens using duplex qPCR. Bs was not detected in any samples, suggesting it was not present in these hellbender populations (0% prevalence, 95% confidence intervals of 0.0–0.04). Bd was found on 22 hellbenders (24% prevalence, 95% confidence intervals of 0.16 ≤ 0.24 ≤ 0.34), representing all four states. All positive samples had low loads of Bd zoospores (12.7 ± 4.9 S.E.M. genome equivalents) compared to other Bd susceptible species. More research is needed to determine the impact of Batrachochytrium infection on hellbender fitness and population viability. In particular, understanding how hellbenders limit Bd infection intensity in an aquatic environment may yield important insights for amphibian conservation. This study is among the first to evaluate the distribution of Bs in the United States, and is consistent with another, which failed to detect Bs in the U.S. Knowledge about the distribution, host-range, and origin of Bs may help control the spread of this pathogen, especially to regions of high salamander diversity, such as the eastern United States.
Located in Information Materials / Research / Peer-reviewed Science
Movement and Habitat Use of Eastern Hellbenders (Cryptobranchus alleganiensis alleganiensis) Following Population Augmentation
by Emily B. McCallen, Bart T. Kraus, Nick G. Burgmeier, Songlin Fei, and Rod N. Williams — published Feb 10, 2023 — last modified Jul 26, 2023 01:38 PM — filed under: , , , , ,
With amphibian declines at crisis levels, translocations, including population augmentations, are commonly used for amphibian conservation. Eastern Hellbenders (Cryptobranchus alleganiensis alleganiensis) have declined to low densities in many areas of their range, making them ideal candidates for population augmentation. Both wild adults and captive-reared juveniles have been used for augmentations, but their suitability has never been directly compared. Herein, we use radio telemetry with Eastern Hellbenders to examine patterns of site fidelity, movement, and habitat use over a 2-yr period for adult residents, wild adult translocates, and captive-reared juvenile translocates. We used generalized linear models and generalized linear mixed models to identify temporal trends and explore the effects of residential status (resident vs. translocate) and origin/age (captive-reared juveniles vs. wild adults) on various ecological and behavioral traits relating to habitat. Site fidelity was high in adult residents and wild adult translocates, but lower in captive-reared juvenile translocates. Both adult and juvenile translocates had greater mean movement distances than residents, leading to larger home range sizes, but these differences decreased over time. Wild adult translocates had a higher probability of using artificial nest rocks than adult residents or captive-reared juvenile translocates. This pattern was most prevalent early in the study, indicating these shelters are particularly useful during the transition to release sites. Captive-reared juvenile translocates had lower site fidelity and utilized suboptimal habitat (smaller and fewer shelter rocks) compared to wild adults. Compared to previous studies, translocations had fewer negative effects on site residents or wild translocates and might be effective at promoting growth of Hellbender populations. However, translocations of captive-reared juveniles were less successful. As we are uncertain whether captive-rearing or ontogeny led to these differences, both longer head-starting times and conditioning should be explored to improve outcomes in captive-reared juvenile cohorts.
Located in Information Materials / Research / Peer-reviewed Science