Comment on FR Doc # 2010-22249

My only memory of the Hellbender salamander is canoeing down the Current River with my family and seeing a man holding one up in the air in one hand, a beer in the other hand. I recall my parents grimacing and telling us to keep going--he was about to hurt or kill it. I have never seen another, though we travel yearly to that river and others. I have commented upon the need for the various Ozark watersheds to have greater protections, as the feeder streams are all too often affected by bulldozers and cement, dumped rock and culverts by unknowing or unconcerned local DOT officials and workers. I think the Hellbender is and has been at great risk for the three decades of my life, at least, due to the commercial nature of activity upon the rivers such as the Current, and the level of abusive "recreation" that occurs there daily in the summer months. As a Missouri Master Naturalist volunteer, i look forward to partnerships among various conservation groups who would undoubtedly be willing to help move this amazing species closer to stable survival, and, hopefully, relative abundance. Knowing what I do now, i think it would be magic to someday be able to see one, hopefully with my child, and hopefully in a safe, natural moment. Thank you.