Habitat Evaluation Framework for Eastern Hellbender Recovery in Western NC Post-Hurricane Helene

Project Information

Principal Investigator: Lydia Olander (Nicholas Institute for Energy, Environment, and Sustainability, Duke University)
Research Lead: Jin Bai (Nicholas Institute for Energy, Environment, and Sustainability, Duke University)
Project Timeline: September 2025 – April 2026
Consortium Priority Track: Extreme Events
Cooperators:
Lori Williams (NC Wildlife Resources Commission)
Kendrick Weeks (NC Wildlife Resources Commission)
Michael Gangloff (Appalachian State University)

Overview:

Hurricane Helene brought extensive damage to western North Carolina, not only causing loss of homes and businesses but also negatively impacting wildlife habitats. In particular, stream habitat can be severely impacted through flooding and debris from fallen trees and destroyed infrastructure, which affects the survival of many aquatic species including the eastern hellbender. Wildlife biologists from the NC Wildlife Resource Commission needs to evaluate the impacts on hellbender habitat to develop a recovery plan for this species that is being considered for federally endangered. This project can provide timely report on pre-Helene habitat condition and help wildlife biologists to prioritize the field data collection locations in the spring of 2026. The results of the project will inform our understanding of hurricane impacts on aquatic wildlife habitats, which will benefit the wildlife biologists who work with hellbender but also benefit other biologists who work with other aquatic species such as trout, mussels, and crayfish.