JOINS COUNCIL — Indian Creek High School has joined a Hellbender Husbandry Council with Purdue University as part of ongoing efforts to restore the endangered species’ population. Chief, the hellbender ambassador at ICHS, rests in his aquarium. -- Contributed

WINTERSVILLE — Indian Creek High School is partnering with Purdue University in Indiana and other organizations in an effort to save an endangered species through the Hellbender Husbandry Council.

Students in the natural resources career-technical education program have been tending to Chief, the hellbender ambassador, and more than a dozen juvenile salamanders through a pilot project including the Ohio Department of Natural Resources, Columbus and Toledo Zoos, Panta Career Center and the university with the goal of releasing the younger of the species back into the wild. Biosecure facilities were created near teacher Crystal Fluharty’s classroom to raise the juveniles while Chief made his home in an exhibit on the main floor of the school building.

Fluharty said she took part in a virtual meeting with officials this summer and the council is affiliated with the continuance of the project.

“Purdue University invited us to be part of the Hellbender Husbandry Council and it involves multiple zoos and facilities that are raising or have hellbenders,” she said. “We talked about how we are raising them and how we can improve it, as well as how we can better prepare the hellbenders when we release them into the wild so we will have a strong population.”

The hellbender has its origins in the Jefferson County area, including the Cross Creek region within the school district, but time and environmental changes resulted in a population decrease. The school partnered with the state and other groups to reverse those numbers and revive the species once again. Fluharty said the ODNR and hellbender partners will discuss the optimum time and place to release the juveniles, but it may potentially occur next fall or later.

The school received Chief in 2023, followed by 20 juveniles — five of which were presumably lost to stress and saprolegnia, a disease found in freshwater aquaculture. Currently, they maintain 15 2-year-old juveniles in the facility and have since determined Chief to be a male. Local veterinarian Dr. Scott Pendleton drew blood from Chief which was taken by Fluharty and her pupils to the Wilds safari parks during an experiential field day last year. Officials there analyzed the blood and determined Chief’s gender, which was then celebrated at the school.

Fluharty’s students review the salamanders each day, measuring and feeding them and recording data on their conditions. The pupils are also responsible for regularly cleaning the tanks and testing pH levels of the water, while their data is submitted to the ODNR and zoo. In turn, they earn 250 work-based learning hours which go toward graduation requirements. Students have presented at state hellbender partnership conferences and are expected to appear again this fall at the Columbus Zoo to give officials a status update. Fluharty said they are also taking part in another program.

“This year, we have a wildlife symposium lab and students come in first period and design their own research,” Fluharty added. “In December or January, they will write a proposal to do student wildlife research and present it at the research symposium in the spring.”

She said last year’s symposium was held at Mohican Lake State Park but this year’s venue had not yet been announced.