WATAUGA COUNTY, N.C.—Ben Dalton broke the glassy surface of the Watauga River, spit out his mouthpiece and gasped for breath. All morning, Dalton, a state wildlife biologist, and two other snorkelers had been scouring the river bed, trying to rescue as many eastern hellbenders as they could. So far, they had not saved a one. … Continue reading In North Carolina, Eastern Hellbenders Are a Species of Concern, Threatened by the Vagaries of Climate Change