Hellbenders
In 2019, the Eastern Hellbender was designated the state’s official amphibian and clean water ambassador as a result of legislation promoted by the Chesapeake Bay Foundation PA Student Leadership Council. Read more here.
Eastern Hellbenders are the giants of the salamander world and can attain lengths of up to 29 inches long.
In Pennsylvania, they are designated a species of concern because of its declining population. Read more here. They only thrive in clean water and live in a specific kind of rocky, stream bottom habitat. Read more here.
Eastern Hellbenders were first discovered in Northcentral Pennsylvania by Dr. Petokas from Lycoming College in the Loyalsock Creek Watershed in 2005. Read more here. They have also been discovered in a few locations in rivers and streams in Western Pennsylvania. Read more here.
Recently, the habitats of Eastern Hellbenders have been threatened by shale gas development and water withdrawal construction projects in the Loyalsock Creek Watershed in Lycoming County. Read more here.
Monies raised by the Eastern Hellbender license plate will go to the Wild Resources Conservation Fund to support the management of Pennsylvania’s unique, rare, threatened and endangered flora and fauna.
Click Here to order the Hellbender license plate for a one-time fee of $41.
Pollinator Habitat
Pollinators are vital to the production of healthy plants in Pennsylvania's natural areas, gardens, and agricultural crops.
Every plant that flowers requires pollination to reproduce. In Pennsylvania, the main animal pollinators are bees, flies, butterflies, beetles, moths and hummingbirds.
Habitat loss, fragmentation and degradation, increased pesticide use and introduced diseases threaten the pollinators on which we depend for food crops and a sustainable agricultural economy.
In fact the declining numbers of several species have been so significant that these species are under review for listing as federal threatened and endangered species, including the migratory Monarch Butterfly.
Visit Penn State's Center for Pollinator Research for more information.
Funds raised by the Pollinator Habitat license plant will go to the Pollinator Habitat Program Fund established for the purpose of providing support for roadside pollinator initiatives.
Visit PennDOT's Pollinator Habitat Plan webpage for more on habitat restoration plans and opportunities.
Click Here to order the Pollinator Habitat license plate for a one-time fee of $40.
PennDOT also has available other specialty vehicle license plates to support organizations like the PA Resources Council ‘Don’t Be A Litterbug’, Ducks Unlimited, Trout Unlimited and more.
Related Articles:
-- Bay Journal: Hellbender Habitat Slammed By Pollution From Shale Gas Development In PA's Loyalsock Creek - By Ad Crable, Chesapeake Bay Journal [PaEN]
-- Rare Eastern Hellbender Habitat In Loyalsock Creek, Lycoming County Harmed By Sediment Plumes From Pipeline Crossings, Shale Gas Drilling Water Withdrawal Construction Projects [PaEN]
-- Pollinator Gardens: Help Encourage Ecological Diversity In Your Own Backyard [PaEN]
-- Penn State Master Watershed Stewards Native Tree & Shrub Sale Thru Aug. 27
Related Articles This Week:
-- Eastern Hellbender, Pollinator Habitat Vehicle License Plates Now Available From PennDOT [PaEN]
-- North Branch Land Trust Celebrates Hellbenders With Specially Designed Hellbender Products! Proceeds Benefit The Trust
-- Elementary School Curriculum On PA Pollinators And Agriculture Now Available From Penn State [PaEN]
-- SOLD OUT! Manada Conservancy: Free Native Pollinator Plants To First 50 Landowners In Swatara Creek Watershed, Dauphin County [PaEN]
[Posted: August 7, 2023] PA Environment Digest
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