The official state amphibian, despite its slimy appearance and a name — and nicknames — that can make young kids snicker, now appears on a Pennsylvania license plate.
License plates featuring the Eastern Hellbender — aka the snot otter and Allegheny alligator — are now available for sale through PennDOT with $15 of their $41 price going to support the Wild Resource Conservation Fund.
Conservation and Natural Resources Secretary Cindy Dunn said at a Capitol news conference on Monday announcing the new plates, the fund provides grants to support the work of scientists to study and learn the needs of threatened native species of plants and wildlife so they can become more common.
The hellbender is one Pennsylvania wants to keep around.
“What’s really neat about the hellbender, it’s got a recognizable name, an impressive size, fascinating appearance,” said Tim Schaeffer, executive director of the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission and chairman of the Wild Resource Conservation Program. “It’s become a really incredible ambassador for water quality and is an indicator of ecosystem health in the commonwealth. … And it’s sort of fun to say, right? The hellbender.”
“I can’t think of a better symbol for Pennsylvania environment than the hellbender and to our commitment to clean water,” said Sen. Gene Yaw, R-Lycoming County.
Yaw, who could be considered the unofficial hellbender defender-in-chief, sponsored the legislation naming this particular salamander the official state amphibian. Former Gov. Tom Wolf signed it into law in 2019.
Yaw credited a group of Cumberland County students at the time for inspiring him to introduce the bill. The students had participated in a Chesapeake Bay Foundation’s Pennsylvania Student Leadership Council at Yaw’s alma mater, Lycoming College, and learned about how the hellbender serves as an indicator of clean water and can’t survive in anything less.
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“These salamanders rely on cold, clear, and swift-running water for survival,” wrote Emma Stone, the council’s president at the time. “But the loss of forested buffers along these waterways is resulting in warmer waters and silted streams, degrading the hellbender’s habitat. In total, roughly 19,000 miles of Keystone State rivers and streams are polluted, and hellbenders are quickly vanishing from the region.”
Yaw not only faced criticism for offering up a bill some saw has being of little importance at a time the state was facing a $2 billion deficit, he also had to fend off competition from the Wehrle’s salamander for the hellbender’s right to the state amphibian title.
“I’m very, very proud to have had the opportunity to be a part of this,” Yaw said on Monday. “Every time you see a hellbender plate it’s going to be like ‘wow, a bunch of kids started this thing’ and that’s exactly how it happened.”
Stone, now a college graduate, expressed her gratitude to Yaw and others for allowing the students “even just attempt to create the world we want to live in. As a young person and I’m sure many other people would agree we want a world with clean water. We want a state with clean water and the hellbender is a step in that direction.”
“Pay attention to young people. They show the way,” Dunn said. “We’re excited for the boost this program is going to get.”
Impress your friends with these facts about the Eastern Hellbender:
- It’s no joke. They are the official state amphibian:
- It is the largest salamander in the United States.
- One can grow up to more than 2 pounds and two feet long.
- It’s the third critter to be featured on a PennDOT license plate benefiting the Wild Resource Conservation Fund with the Saw-Whet Owl being the first and the river otter plate being the second.