Editing Hellbender (section)

==Conservation status==
Research throughout the range of the hellbender has shown a dramatic decline in populations in the majority of locations. As of 2022, the species is classified as [[Vulnerable species|Vulnerable]] by the IUCN.<ref name=iucn/> Many different [[wikt:anthropogenic|anthropogenic]] sources have contributed to this decline, including the [[siltation]] and sedimentation, blocking of dispersal/migration routes, and destruction of riverine habitats created by dams and other development, as well as pollution, disease and overharvesting for commercial and scientific purposes.<ref name=hellbender94/><ref name=phylogeography1235/> As many of these detrimental effects have irreversibly damaged hellbender populations, it is important to conserve the remaining populations through protecting habitats and—perhaps in places where the species was once endemic and has been extirpated—by augmenting numbers through [[reintroduction]].<ref name=hellbender94/>

Due to sharp decreases seen in the Ozark subspecies, researchers have been trying to differentiate ''C.&nbsp;a. alleganiensis'' and ''C.&nbsp;a. bishopi'' into two management units. Indeed, researchers found significant genetic divergence between the two groups, as well as between them and another isolated population of ''C.&nbsp;a. alleganiensis''. This could be reason enough to ensure work is done on both subspecies, as preserving extant [[genetic diversity]] is of crucial ecological importance.<ref name=hellbender94/>

The Ozark hellbender has been listed as an endangered species under the [[Endangered Species Act]] by the [[US Fish and Wildlife Service]] since October 5, 2011. This hellbender subspecies inhabits the [[White River (Arkansas)|White River]] and Spring River systems in southern Missouri and northern Arkansas, and its population has declined an estimated 75% since the 1980s, with only about 590 individuals remaining in the wild. Degraded water quality, habitat loss resulting from impoundments, ore and gravel mining, sedimentation, and collection for the [[pet trade]] are thought to be the main factors resulting in the amphibian's decline.<ref>{{cite press release |title=U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Lists the Ozark Hellbender as Endangered and Moves to Include Hellbenders in Appendix III of CITES |publisher=U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service |date=2011-10-05 |url=http://www.fws.gov/midwest/endangered/amphibians/ozhe/NRFinalListingozhe.html?rid=273 |access-date=16 May 2013}}</ref> When [[chytridiomycosis]] killed 75% of the St. Louis Zoo's captive hellbender population between March 2006 and April 2007, tests began to be conducted on wild populations.  The disease has been detected in all Missouri populations of the Ozark hellbender.<ref name="USFWS-Can We Save It">{{cite web |title=The Ozark Hellbender – Can We Save It? |url=http://www.fws.gov/midwest/endangered/esday/MOOZHE.html|publisher=U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service |access-date=26 January 2013}}</ref> [[NatureServe]] treats ''C.&nbsp;a. alleganiensis'' as an ''Imperiled Subspecies'', ''C.&nbsp;a. bishopi'' as a ''Critically Imperiled Subspecies'', and the species as a whole as ''Vulnerable''.<ref>{{cite web |title=NatureServe Explorer 2.0 |url=https://explorer.natureserve.org/Taxon/ELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.101863/Cryptobranchus_alleganiensis_alleganiensis |website=explorer.natureserve.org |access-date=28 March 2022}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=NatureServe Explorer 2.0 |url=https://explorer.natureserve.org/Taxon/ELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.102421/Cryptobranchus_alleganiensis_bishopi |website=explorer.natureserve.org |access-date=28 March 2022}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=NatureServe Explorer 2.0 |url=https://explorer.natureserve.org/Taxon/ELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.105670/Cryptobranchus_alleganiensis |website=explorer.natureserve.org |access-date=28 March 2022}}</ref>

The Ozark hellbender was successfully bred in captivity for the first time at the [[Saint Louis Zoo|St. Louis Zoo]], in a joint project with the Missouri Department of Conservation, hatching on November 15, 2011.<ref name=stlouiszoo>{{cite web |author=Saint Louis Zoo |url=https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/12/111201094756.htm |title=World's first captive breeding of Ozark hellbenders |website=ScienceDaily |date=1 December 2011 |access-date=15 November 2012}}</ref>

Apart from the Ozark efforts, head-starting programs, in which eggs are collected from the wild and raised in captivity for re-release at a less vulnerable stage, have been initiated in Indiana, New York,<ref>{{cite news |last=James |first=Will |url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB10001424127887324108204579024753735118762 |title=The Buffalo Zoo's Hellbender Lab |newspaper=Wall Street Journal |date=20 August 2013}}</ref> and Ohio.<ref>{{cite press release |title=Ohio's Hellbender Population Set Up for Success |url=http://ohiodnr.gov/news/post/ohio-s-hellbender-population-set-up-for-success |date=9 October 2014 |publisher=Ohio Department of Natural Resources |access-date=10 January 2015}}</ref>

Members of the [[Pennsylvania State Senate]] have voted to approve the eastern hellbender as the official [[List of U.S. state amphibians|state amphibian]] in an effort to raise awareness about its endangered status. The legislation has been mired in controversy due to a dispute by House members who argue that [[Wehrle's salamander]] should be given the honor.<ref>Frank Kummer, "Seriously? Battle looms over Pa. state amphibian: Hellbender vs. Wehrle's", ''Philadelphia Inquirer'', November 16, 2017, https://www.inquirer.com/philly/health/environment/hellbender-snot-otter-pennsylvanias-official-amphibian-20171116.html</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.ydr.com/story/opinion/2019/01/29/hellbender-one-step-closer-becoming-official-pa-amphibian/2712377002 |title=The hellbender is one step closer to becoming the official PA state amphibian}}</ref> The legislation did not pass in 2018, but was reintroduced in 2019.<ref>B. J. Small, "[https://www.ydr.com/story/opinion/2019/01/29/hellbender-one-step-closer-becoming-official-pa-amphibian/2712377002/ The Hellbender is One Step Closer to Becoming the Official PA State Amphibian]", York Daily Record, January 29, 2019.</ref> On April 23, 2019, Pennsylvania Governor [[Tom Wolf]] signed legislation making the eastern hellbender Pennsylvania's official state amphibian.<ref>{{Cite web | url=https://www.legis.state.pa.us/cfdocs/billinfo/billinfo.cfm?syear=2019&sind=0&body=S&type=B&bn=0009 |title = Bill Information - Senate Bill 9; Regular Session 2019-2020}}</ref> Youth members of the [[Chesapeake Bay Foundation]]'s Pennsylvania Student Leadership Council were heavily involved writing and advocating on behalf of this legislation. They hope that the success of the hellbender bill in the Pennsylvania Senate will contribute to clean water efforts and raise awareness for the hellbender's struggling population.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Bulletin |first=Bay |date=2019-04-16 |title=Hellbender Poised to Become Pa. State Amphibian |url=https://www.chesapeakebaymagazine.com/hellbender-finally-poised-to-become-pa-state-amphibian/ |access-date=2023-11-07 |website=Chesapeake Bay Magazine |language=en-US}}</ref>