The eastern hellbender has survived for more than 160 million years. It has outlived dinosaurs and ice ages. But it may not survive federal delay.

In December 2024, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service proposed listing the eastern hellbender as endangered under the Endangered Species Act. At that time, officials acknowledged that populations had dropped from 626 historically known populations to just 371 remaining. The agency was required to finalize that decision by December 2025. It failed to do so.

Now, conservation groups have filed suit, arguing that the agency has not complied with the law.

Hellbenders depend on clean, fast-flowing streams. In western North Carolina, Hurricane Helene devastated some of the species’ healthiest remaining populations. Biologists found hellbenders stranded and killed by floodwaters. Beyond storm damage, ongoing threats include pollution, dams, mining, climate change, and habitat loss.

North Carolina already lists the species as one of special concern, and it is illegal to harm or sell them in the state. But state protections alone are not enough. Federal endangered status would unlock stronger habitat safeguards, recovery planning, and coordinated conservation funding across multiple states.

The Endangered Species Act does not allow political delay. It requires timely, science-based decisions. Court rulings have already directed the agency to make a lawful determination aligned with the ESA.

We call on the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the Department of the Interior to immediately finalize endangered status for the eastern hellbender and comply with the deadlines established under federal law.

Protecting hellbenders protects North Carolina’s rivers. It protects biodiversity. It protects future generations’ right to inherit the natural heritage of the Appalachian Mountains.

This is not about politics. It is about following the law and safeguarding an irreplaceable species before it disappears.

Sign this petition to demand enforcement of the Endangered Species Act and immediate federal protections for the eastern hellbender.