Audrey Shipman
As a child, Au - drey Shipman en - joyed family trips to state parks. “My mom got us into a lot of environ - mental education programming,” she said. “We went to
Sign our petition Each online signature helps us amplify the plight of the hellbender to the US Fish and Wildlife Service before
a Lycoming College for Kids Camp and there was this professor who was into hellbender research, and as a kid I thought these creatures looked pretty cool.” Early in 2023, Shipman signed up for the Middle Susquehanna River - keeper Association’s EELS (Environ - mental Education Leadership for Students) Program and was excited to find hellbenders as an option to then teach kids about. She gave two hellbender presen - tations later that spring one to more than 80 first-graders in Hughesville and another to nearly 30 elementa - ry students at Meadowbrook Chris - tian School using materials from the association. “I was surprised at how interested the kids were about the hellbenders and it felt so cool how this all was coming full circle for me. Hearing about the hellbender case and being a small part of helping spread awareness – of giving this quiet creature a bigger voice – there is something special about that.”
they make a decision on whether or not to give the species a federal protec -
tion. Help us help the hell - bender. Click here to sign and share with your friends!
Photo by Isaac Szabo
Check out the Center for Biologic Diversity’s hellbender page with more info and additional opportunity for action. Additional opportunity
Can’t sign our online petition? Click here for a printable version you can mail to our office!
Click here to check out several original songs written specifically to raise awareness about the hellbender
Artwork by teacher Brooke Shockey
www.MiddleSusquehannaRiverkeeper.org/hellbenders.html
21
Made with FlippingBook - professional solution for displaying marketing and sales documents online