Скачать или смотреть Purdue Expert: Hellbender Salamander

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Rod Williams is a professor of herpetology in the Department of Forestry and Natural Resources at Purdue University and the leader of the Farmers Helping Hellbenders project. In this video, he explains why the Eastern hellbender salamander is important and what conservation efforts aim to accomplish. Williams says that Eastern hellbenders are one of the largest salamanders in North America and serve as important aquatic predators in their ecosystems. He says that hellbenders are considered an endangered species in Indiana and are listed as threatened in other states. Williams and his team work to restore the Eastern hellbender in Indiana by maintaining current habitats and expanding them with the help of farmers. The United States Department of Agriculture recently awarded a $2.7 million dollar grant to this project. Williams says this grant will allow farmers to implement conservation practices on their property. He says these practices will maintain and increase soil fertility while simultaneously preventing soil runoff into streams. Preventing this sedimentary runoff from occurring will help restore the Eastern hellbender’s habitat.

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