Protect Wildlife

In 2022, the Alliance released a new podcast series called The Collective Tap which explores the many ways we interact with water every day. We partnered with Metazoa Brewing Company in Indianapolis to promote an episode about water and wildlife, using the mudpuppy as a mascot for a new Hazy IPA and for a larger conversation about the subject.

Join us on October 27 at Metazoa Brewing Company for the launch of the ‘Mudpuppy’ Hazy IPA. More information can be found HERE.

Thepuppy is a large, rare salamander that lives its entire life in water. They can be found throughout Indiana in rivers, streams, ponds, and lakes, but they are considered a “species of special concern” due to unknown population numbers. Mudpuppies require clean water and healthy habitat to thrive, and declining water quality and habitat loss throughout the state have likely reduced their numbers significantly.

The challenges faced by mudpuppies are emblematic of a wider problem. Indiana waterways are critical not just for human uses but for the many wildlife communities that also need them to survive. This doesn’t just include fish and mussels—both critical to our ecosystems—but birds, mammals, lizards, amphibians, and the many invertebrates at the base of the food chain as well. As humans continue to alter the landscape and climate, wildlife will become increasingly susceptible to the impacts our activities have on habitat and water quality.

What can you do to help protect wildlife? For starters, you can help improve our water quality. Consider taking a Clear Choices Clean Water action pledge, volunteer for our citizen-science water monitoring program, RAFT, encourage your workplace to sign up for one of our State of the Waters presentation, or join a StormWater Action Team. You can also help protect habitat by supporting your local land trust, parks departments, and groups like The Nature Conservancy or even creating some of your own.

You can also learn more about water in Indiana by following along with The Collective Tap, which is available on all streaming platforms. For our episode on wildlife (Season 4, Episode 2), we spoke with Amanda Smith of Hamilton County Parks and Recreation and Cassie Hauswald with The Nature Conservancy. The conversation ranged from rare and interesting species to the state of Indiana’s water habitats to the need for good public policy. The Collective Tap is available on all major streaming platforms and at www.thecollectivetap.com.