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Robert Hansen is a field biologist studying and monitoring aquatic life at Barton Springs. He works for the City of Austin's Drainage Utility Department, which is the agency in charge of stormwater drainage. Photo: Jeanine Sih

This Barton Springs Salamander is called Eurycea Sosorum, named after the Austin environmental group Save Our Springs (SOS) Alliance. Photo: Save Our Springs Alliance

Mr. Hansen:
"Since 1993 I've performing monthly surveys of salamander populations here in Barton Springs pool. The salamander is a five centimeter political lightning rod.

"But besides that, it is a totally aquatic salamander that belongs to the genus eurycea. There are numerous species of eurycea salamanders throughout the central Texas hill country. What's unique about these salamanders is that they are neotenic--they do not metamophose into a terrestrial adult stage. So the Barton Springs Salamanders are aquatic their entire lives. They have larval characteristics such as external gill structures, and they never lose those gills tructures. They never develop lungs.

"Since the salamander has evolved here at Barton Springs over thousands of years under relatively constant conditions, the threat of degradation of water quality, especially because of nonpoint source pollution I think is genuine. Nonpoint source pollution includes highway runoff, insecticides and pesticides being washed off of our lawns, silt and sedimentation being introduced into the aquifer from various construction projects. And as impervious cover increases in the watershed, we will only see increases in these constituents in the water quality here at Barton Springs.

"The salamander has a smallest known range of any vertebrate in North America, it's dependent on water quality and water quantity in Barton Springs and the Edwards Aquifer. And it's also susceptible to a catastrophic event upstream here in the watershed. These are some very real threats to the species.

"The endangered species act and its listing as endangered will ensure that a recovery plan is put in place for the recovery of the Barton Springs Salamander."

This story is made possible in part through support from
The National Environmental Education Training Foundation.

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