Barton Springs Salamander
Photo Courtesy Tom Devitt
January 1992
Biologists file an emergency petition to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to list the Barton Springs Salamander as an endangered species, adding to efforts to protect water quality in the Barton Springs zone.
The salamander was given the taxonomic name, Eurycea sosorum, in honor of the citizens of Austin, who initiated and passed the Save Our Springs Ordinance in 1992 to protect the Edwards Aquifer. The Barton Springs Salamander is found in all four of the springs, collectively known as Barton Springs, in Zilker Park.
If the salamander is listed and the recharge and contributing zones declared habitat, environmentalists will accomplish through the Endangered Species Act a new layer of protection for the city's beloved swimming hole.
— Austin American-Statesman, January 25. 1992
Barton Springs Salamanders/ Watershed Productions, City of Austin
