'What is that thing on your license plate?' New promotion highlights Pa.'s state amphibian
If you want not just your spiffy car but also your license plate to become a conversation piece, consider the new Pennsylvania plate that features the state’s official amphibian, the eastern hellbender.
State officials unveiled the new license plate Monday in Harrisburg. It will raise money for the Wild Resource Conservation Program.
“It’s become a really incredible ambassador for water quality and is an indicator of ecosystem health in the commonwealth," said Tim Schaeffer, Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission executive director.
“It’s sort of fun to say,” he added about the hellbender’s name. “I think it’s going to spark conversations ‘what is that thing on your license plate?’”
Hellbenders are among 22 types of salamanders in the state, which also has 21 species of snakes, 18 frogs and toads, 13 turtles and four lizard species. “Most people won’t see a hellbender. They are pretty elusive. They are more common than you think but they are pretty elusive,” Schaeffer said, adding that if you do see one, to let it alone.
Hellbenders are found in 32 of Pennsylvania’s 67 counties and can live up to 30 years. The grey-and-brown salamanders can grow to 24 inches long and weigh 2 pounds, making them North America's largest amphibian.
The hellbender is listed by the state as a creature that’s of greatest conservation need. It is not listed as threatened or endangered, however.
“We are just thrilled the hellbender license plate will be out there as a barometer of a species we have jurisdiction for and is a real indicator of water quality,” Schaeffer said.
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Sen. Gene Yaw, a Republican serving Bradford, Lycoming, Sullivan, Tioga and Union counties, sponsored legislation in 2019 for the eastern hellbender to become the first official state amphibian of Pennsylvania. He introduced the measure at the request of members of the Chesapeake Bay Foundation’s Pennsylvania Student Leadership Council.
“I can’t think of a better symbol for Pennsylvania’s environment than the hellbender to show our commitment to clean water,” Yaw said. “It’s an indicator of really clean water."
However, “I don’t care how you cut it, they are really ugly,” he said. They also have been called snot otters, mud puppies, Allegheny alligators, mud devils, devil dogs, ground puppies and lasagna lizards, among other nicknames.
How to get a hellbender license plate
To purchase one of the license plates, visit dmv.pa.gov and search for special fund registrations plates.
Fifteen dollars from the $41 price of the license plate will help support the Wild Resource Conservation Program.
The program, which began in 1982, provides grants and facilitates the flow of information between researchers, conservationists and educators. It has been credited with helping the populations of osprey and otters grow in Pennsylvania.
The special fund license plate program now includes 14 different licenses plate options.
Some of the other conservation licenses plates includes for the Pennsylvania Zoological Council Fund for $62, Preserve Our Heritage $62, Pennsylvania monuments for $63 and pollinator conservation for $40.
Representatives from the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, PennDOT and Chesapeake Bay Foundation were also part of the ceremony to unveil the plate.
Brian Whipkey is the outdoors columnist for USA TODAY Network sites in Pennsylvania. Contact him at bwhipkey@gannett.com and sign up for our weekly Go Outdoors PA newsletter email on this website's homepage under your login name. Follow him on Facebook @whipkeyoutdoors, X @whipkeyoutdoors and Instagram at whipkeyoutdoors.
This article originally appeared on The Daily American: How do I get an eastern hellbender license plate in Pennsylvania?
