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The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service announced earlier this year that it would consider protecting the Hickory Nut Gorge green salamander under the Endangered Species Act. The agency now has 12 months to decide whether to protect the salamander, which lives only in a rapidly developing river gorge southeast of Asheville.

“These salamanders are clinging to survival, and this decision is a good first step toward protecting an important part of North Carolina’s natural heritage,” said Will Harlan, a senior scientist at the Center for Biological Diversity, in a press release. “I hope the Fish and Wildlife Service moves quickly to give these remarkable creatures the protections they need. Without quick action, they’ll vanish forever.”

These green-splotched salamanders live only in the Hickory Nut Gorge, a 14-mile-long gorge in North Carolina’s Blue Ridge Mountains, which is 18 miles south of Asheville and facing rapid development pressure. Scientists estimate there are only a few hundred of them left on Earth, and populations have declined steeply in the past 20 years.

According to a recent email, the Asheville Field Office of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has begun the process that will culminate in the Service’s decision on whether  the Hickory Nut Gorge green salamander warrants protection under the Endangered Species Act.   

The expectation is that officials will spend the  fall and winter gathering and analyzing data on the current status of the species, as well as threats that could impact its future – positively or negatively. That will be followed in the spring  by the completion and review of a Species Status Assessment – a document that captures all the pertinent information on which the decision will be based of whether Endangered Species Act protection is warranted.

That decision is expected late 2025-early 2026. If the Service concludes listing is not warranted, the process will end. If the Service concludes listing is warranted, then the Service will propose adding the Hickory Nut Gorge green salamander to the endangered species list and consider the need for designating critical habitat. Those proposals would be open for public comment before a final decision is made.  

“The Hickory Nut Gorge green salamander is a species worthy of protection under the Endangered Species Act,” said Ben Prater, Southeast program director at Defenders of Wildlife. “The science is clear and this species needs immediate action to prevent extinction. We applaud the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service for moving forward in response to our petition and will continue to advocate for conservation and recovery efforts to proceed as quickly as possible.”

In June 2022 the Center petitioned to list the Hickory Nut Gorge green salamander under the Endangered Species Act.

Full protection as an endangered species would ensure that Hickory Nut Gorge green salamanders and their remaining habitat are safeguarded. It would also require a federal recovery plan to restore their populations.

Unlike most salamanders, Hickory Nut Gorge green salamanders spend most of their lives in trees and rock outcrops using their unique markings to stay camouflaged.

Habitat loss, human exploitation and climate change could wipe out this salamander and many other species inhabiting the gorge. The nonprofit NatureServe already classifies the Hickory Nut Gorge green salamander as critically imperiled.

The Center was joined by Defenders of Wildlife in petitioning to protect the salamander under the Endangered Species Act. The Center and Defenders are working with the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission and others in the Hickory Nut Gorge to protect salamander populations.

Southern Appalachia is a global biodiversity hotspot for salamanders, with more salamander species than anywhere else in the world. Unfortunately, 60% of salamander species are threatened with extinction, including the Hickory Nut Gorge green salamander.

“Losing the Hickory Nut Gorge green salamander would be heartbreaking,” said Harlan. “We can save this salamander, but we need to act now.”

 

Submitted by Jason Gilmer