This year, as a part of our RootEd grant, my Rosman Elementary School’s 5th graders are launching a project dedicated to raising awareness and supporting the conservation of the hellbender salamander, a unique and endangered species native to western North Carolina’s rivers. Due to Hurricane Helene, their population is declining even more. Students will read and learn all about the ecosystem standards as they work with local wildlife biologists to create awareness materials that will bring awareness to help protect the local hellbender population. This project offers a unique opportunity for students to engage with a local environmental issue and contribute to real-world conservation efforts.
Make a Change
The problem: The Hellbender Population is Declining - More Urgent after Hurricane Helene
There are an estimated 219 surviving (but declining) hellbender populations left in the US, of which 225 have already died.
Because long-lived species are slow to recover, immediate conservation measures may be required to ensure the recovery of this species. (Hellbenders can live for over 25 years in the wild!)
What can we do?
We learned that the Fish and Wildlife Service had posted a proposal at https://www.regulations.gov/ to get Endangered and Threatened Species: Status for Eastern Hellbender. So what did we do? We researched and made public comments to help with the effort! See our posts here:
Community Partners
Freshwater Illustrators
We were so lucky to have Jeremy Monroe of Freshwaters Illustrated come again to show us his film, Hidden Rivers. We gained valuable knowledge about the beauty and vulnerability of these ecosystems. This year's students again love his The Last Dragons film (which we keep rewatching).
The Chatanooga Zoo
The students have been invited by the Zoo’s Director of Education, Anne Krichten, from The Chatanooga Zoo, to help lead Salamander Saturday, on May 3rd, 2025, by designing activities, labs, and materials that will teach other children about the Science ecosystem standards and how they relate to salamanders. We are creating hellbender-themed color-your-own bookmarks and stickers, a life-cycle puzzle, and a card game. Please see the first draft of our materials below before we send them off to a graphic designer. for editing.
For questions or comments, please email lbledsoe@constructivelearningdesign.org. To learn more about what RootEd can do for your school and community, visit RootEd.place or follow us on Twitter!