On a cold November morning, with the first snow of the season dusting the woods, a group of Ouabache Land Conservancy members moved slowly along a creek-bottom forest in Putnam County. Shoes stepped softly over soon-to-be-frozen leaves. Breath hung in the air. Then, with a gentle motion, one log was rolled aside, and an entire hidden world appeared.
Curled beneath the damp wood was a red-backed salamander, glossy and still, a living reminder that conservation is not just about scenic views or miles of trail. Sometimes, it is about what survives quietly under a single fallen log.
A Scientist’s Eye on the Forest Floor
The salamander sighting was no accident. It was revealed by decades of experience provided by Dr. Diana Hews a retired biologist and emeritus professor from Indiana State University, whose career has been devoted to understanding how animals behave, survive, and interact with their environments. Originally trained in animal behavior and physiology, her research has spanned frogs, lizards, and salamanders, with a particular focus on hormones such as testosterone, estrogen, and stress hormones, and how they shape behavior, immunity, and survival.
That training translates directly to moments like this one. Creek-bottom forests, rich with leaf litter and moisture, are prime habitat for salamanders. Large, decaying logs act like natural sponges, holding water even through dry summers. When she spots one, she knows how to lift it carefully, roll it in one direction, observe, and then return it to preserve the fragile microhabitat beneath. “It’s important not to disturb the soil or leaf litter too much. That moisture-retaining structure is everything for salamanders,” Dr. Hews explained.
Meet the Red-Backed Salamander
The species revealed that day was the red-backed salamander (Plethodon cinereus), the most common salamander in the eastern United States. Brick-brown rather than bright red, it is small, secretive, and astonishingly abundant. Collectively, red-backed salamanders represent one of the largest vertebrate biomasses in eastern forests.
Despite their abundance, they are easy to overlook. In cold weather, they move slowly, sometimes resembling shiny worms if only a tail is visible. Look closely, though, and their importance becomes clear. Red-backed salamanders are lungless. They breathe entirely through their skin, which must remain moist. This makes them exquisitely sensitive to changes in soil conditions, moisture, and pollution. Acid rain, water contamination, and soil compaction from logging or heavy equipment can all reduce their numbers. “They’re indicators. If they’re doing well, it tells us the forest floor is still functioning,” Dr. Hews explained.
Why Conserved Land Matters
A healthy salamander habitat depends on undisturbed forests. Logging and development compact soils, destroy leaf litter, and erase the tiny creeklets that maintain moisture across the landscape. While salamanders rarely live in the water itself, nearby rivulets create the damp conditions they need to survive. Red-backed salamanders also sit squarely in the middle of the food web. They consume insects, nematodes, and other invertebrates and are, in turn, prey for birds, mammals, and snakes. Disturb their habitat, and the ripple moves outward.
A Magical Teaching Moment
As word spread along the trail, hikers gathered. Children crouched close, eyes wide. Adults leaned in. Questions flowed. How does it live? What does it eat? What should we do if we see one? Moments like this, she believes, are where conservation begins. Not with statistics or regulations, but with wonder. “When people realize these animals are under our feet, living their entire lives where we walk, something shifts. You start valuing the land differently,” Dr. Hews exclaimed.
Seasons, Survival, and a Changing Climate
That snowy November day came at the tail end of the salamanders’ fall breeding season. Red-backed salamanders breed in fall and spring, laying eggs that hatch in early spring. During moist periods, they forage actively, storing energy for winter. When temperatures drop, they retreat deep into soil cracks and tunnels to overwinter. But moisture is the linchpin, and that is where concern enters the story.
According to Dr. Hews, climate models predict that parts of Indiana may experience lower rainfall over time, trending toward conditions more typical of parts of Texas. For moisture-dependent species like salamanders, that shift could push populations northward or to higher elevations. Indiana, with its modest topography, offers limited refuge. “They may not disappear entirely, but they could vanish from places where they’ve always lived,” Dr. Hews added.
Will today’s children be able to show their own kids a red-backed salamander beneath a log?
Why Salamanders Matter to Humans
For a biologist, the value of salamanders is obvious. Biodiversity matters in its own right. But there is another layer, one that reaches directly into human health and technology.
Dr. Hews shared that salamanders have played outsized roles in scientific discovery. Studies of salamander hormones revealed entirely new ways that stress hormones act on cells, discoveries that later reshaped biomedical research in mammals. Other salamander species have inspired advances in adhesives and materials science. Color variations in salamanders are linked to genes associated with melanin and even cancer research. “You never know where a discovery will come from. Basic science often starts with curiosity, not a clear application,” Dr. Hews added.
The red-backed salamander itself comes in multiple color morphs, a genetic puzzle that continues to intrigue researchers. Each variation is another doorway into understanding evolution, genetics, and disease.
Looking Down to Look Ahead
The log was returned, the salamander slipped back into darkness, and snow continued to fall.
Yet, something had changed. What had been an ordinary walk exploring a potential future property for OLC, became a reminder that conservation is as much about awareness as acreage. Protecting land protects systems, relationships, and futures that unfold just inches below the surface. Sometimes, saving a forest begins with learning how to gently lift a log and then, just as carefully, put it back.