Wildlife Diversity Program Quarterly Report for January–March 2025
Impacts to the Eastern Hellbender and Mudpuppy from Hurricane Helene and Debris Removal by Lori Williams, Western Region Amphibian Biologist
T he hits from 2024’s historic, 1,000-year flood, Hurricane Helene, keep coming for sensitive, state-listed aquatic species like the Eastern Hellbender ( Cryptobranchus a. alleganiensis ) and Mudpuppy ( Necturus maculosus ), as well as for rare and endan- gered, yet ecologically important, freshwater mussels. Hurricane Helene devastated and destroyed swaths of western North Caro- lina in September 2024. Many hundreds of river miles were sig- nificantly impacted, and 14 out of the 17 counties in the hellbend- er’s and mudpuppy’s North Carolina range were affected (many, historically so), surpassing the previous benchmark for devasta- tion, which was the 1,000-year flood of 1916. Now, in winter and spring 2025, and still under an emergency declaration that preempted the typical consulting, permitting, and coordination with state resource agencies that normally would be standard protocol, western North Carolina counties began the daunting task of debris removal and stream cleanup. However, weeks and months into the process, we have seen the approach of some project managers, out-of-state contractors, and heavy equip- ment operators who were allowed, if not encouraged, to run the riverbeds “like highways,” even where protected species and sen- sitive habitat occurred. Thus, Wildlife Diversity Program staff (Aquatic and Terrestrial) and Habitat Conservation Program staff were compelled to act. Staff devised a one-page, critical recommendations list for county managers and contractors to use to minimize riparian zone, streambank, and riverbed disturbance during cleanup work, including to minimize or avoid running back and forth over flat boulders and bedrock, crushing them and potentially the rare and protected animals underneath, or nearby (note: read what can happen when stream cleanup is not coordinated and sensitive resources are not considered: https://conservingcarolina.org/ debris-removal-threatens-endangered-species/) . Staff have spent many weeks preparing maps and GIS-based products to identify high-priority river reaches that contractors can overlay with work areas that FEMA and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers have targeted for debris removal. Coordination and implementation of our recommendations has been very challeng- ing in some counties and has gone relatively smoothly in others. One example of a good outcome and coordination has been Henderson County in the Mills River watershed. County manag- ers and contractors with a disaster recovery company, SDR from
UKE ETCHISON/NCWRC
BEN DALTON/NCWRC
Top: An Eastern hellbender (left) and a mudpuppy (right) found and relocated out of harm’s way during Helene-related debris removal on private property in the Mills River watershed, Hen- derson County, NC. Bottom: Aquatic Wildlife Diversity Biologist, Dr. Luke Etchison (background, in red), and technician, Quentin LaChance (foreground, in blue) snorkel in the Mills River water- shed to search for state and federally listed freshwater mussels, mudpuppies, and Eastern hellbenders. Note the extreme erosion on the streambank from the historic floodwaters.
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