As part of a RootEd project, my 5th-grade students at Rosman Elementary have been exploring ecosystems by focusing on the remarkable hellbender salamander native to Western North Carolina. These incredible creatures thrive in the French Broad and Davidson Rivers, vital parts of our local environment.

Students are designing and printing FREE hellbender stickers to give to folks who come to the Pisgah National Forest in order to:

• Encourage folks not to move any rocks they find in the river. (Hellbenders make their homes and lay their eggs under these rocks)

• Report any hellbender sightings to the NC Wildlife Commission (Share the location, a photo if possible, and any other details with Lori.Williams@ncwildlife.org. People can also call the Wildlife Commission’s NC Wildlife Helpline, 866-318-2401, and provide details of the observation)

Our hellbender project has been amazing! We've been lucky enough to have lots of professionals come talk with us about our experience.

• Jeremy Monroe of Freshwaters Illustrated showed us several awesome films, including The Last Dragons (which we keep rewatching--we love it!)

• Matt Christian of FIND Outdoors talked with us about the problem of silt/sediment in the water, and how it can suffocate hellbenders. Matt also hooked us up with the cool Snot Otter shirts (pictured above), and a fun hellbender craft!

• Lori Williams (NC Wildlife Commission) and Ivanna Knox (US Forest Service) brought Rocky, a 17-year-old hellbender born in captivity. We got to pet him and ask lots of questions. 

After we learned from all of these folks, we began collaborating in small groups to design our stickers, t-shirt and video. We spent several days working on our designs and giving each other feedback. Our free stickers will be available at locations throughout Transylvania County; be on the lookout!

For questions or comments, please email lbeck@constructivelearningdesign.org. To learn more about what RootEd can do for your school and community, visit RootEd.place or follow us on Twitter!