How do you get instant joy? Just look outside. In your backyard, out your apartment window, or on a hike. Are lightning bugs flashing their early summer arrival? Are birds building a nest? A frog croaking in the night? Or maybe a Hellbender lurking under a rock in the stream you just crossed on your hike. A what? That’s the reaction we had when we first heard of Hellbenders. A hell what?
And come to find out, most of our friends didn’t know about Hellbenders (also called snot otters) until…But let’s back up to the very beginning of the story. We had just gotten married after a whirlwind engagement of 8 days in 2016. We were both in our 60’s (so it is never too late!) and trying to figure out what we wanted to do with the rest of our lives. Sharing a common passion for nature and wildlife, we had the idea of using Dale’s art to bring public awareness to the frightening decline of so many species, especially amphibians.
