Rogers Center will present a program on Thursday, September 24th from 6 to 7 p.m. on the Eastern Hellbender salamander. (Photo by Michelle Herman)

SHERBURNE — For one night only, hellbenders, a type of giant salamander, are coming to Rogers Center in Sherburne. The public is invited to learn from scientists Dr. Peter J. Petokas and Michelle R. Herman about these huge salamanders...and see a real one. The program is Thursday, September 24th, from 6 to 7 p.m. Registration is required; email ariah@friendsofrogers.org to register.

Hellbenders are the largest salamanders in North America, growing up to two feet in length in adulthood. This amphibian can live for 40 years or more, spending their long lives in cold, clear river habitats.

While they are native to Upstate New York, hellbenders largely disappeared from its watersheds in the 1990s.

“We’re trying to keep hellbenders as a natural part of the landscape,” said Michelle Herman, Principal Biologist for the Wetland Trust.

Herman and Dr. Peter Petokas have worked with a team and volunteers to bring hellbenders back to the Upper Susquehanna River Watershed. They raise hellbenders in captivity in their New Berlin facility before releasing them into their native ecosystems and monitoring their movements and populations.

“The hellbenders we’ve released seem quite healthy,” Petokas remarks.“They’ve grown tremendously feeding on invasive crayfish. They're big now, quite impressive.”

The surrounding community is welcome to learn more at Rogers Center during the September 24th program. Dr. Petokas and Michelle Herman will present on their research and bring a hellbender for public viewing. “We’re excited to promote the incredible work of these researchers, reinstating such a unique amphibian to our local waterways,” said Ariah Mitchell, Educator and Communications Lead for the Friends of Rogers. “They’ll share how members of the public can get involved and work with these hellbenders.”

Rogers Center is one of four New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) environmental education centers, and is operated by the Friends of Rogers. Rogers Center is located at 2721 State Highway 80, Sherburne NY, 13460.

The mission of the Friends of Rogers is to provide outstanding educational opportunities that excite, inspire, and motivate people of all ages to enjoy, understand, appreciate, and protect our natural environment.

— Information from Friends of Rogers