The endangered Eastern Hellbender salamander is splashing into Minecraft Education with Help the Hellbender – A Minecraft Conservation Quest, where players can dive into rivers, restore habitats, and discover how to protect this incredible species.
Researchers in the Help the Hellbender lab and at Texas Tech University collaborated with Minecraft Education developers to design the virtual gaming platform and create in-game educational content focused on hellbenders across three virtual worlds or maps: a rural agricultural landscape, a stream ecosystem and a wildlife rearing facility. Players will learn about the current ecological threats to hellbenders, their habitat needs and distinct biology through quests, challenges and exploration. Players will face tasks from gathering hellbender eggs, caring for hellbenders in captivity and later releasing them into the wild. They also will work with agricultural producers and others to protect the hellbenders’ habitat, including the implementation of conservation practices (especially riparian buffers).
Meet Dr. Riverstone as she introduces you to conservation terms such as keystone species, pollution and habitat.
Your Minecraft Character
As you explore the world of the hellbender, you’ll discover why this amazing creature is a vital sign of river health and how its struggles reveal problems in our waterways.
Help landowners with real challenges like farm runoff, construction near streams and livestock damaging riverbends.
Join him on the farm! He’s counting on you to use the best practices to keep the water clean and the Hellbenders safe.
Next, you will collect hellbender eggs and explore their life cycle from egg to larva, juvenile and adult, leading up to their release into the wild.
Use the Minecraft tools to document and report your findings.
Step into the slimy, wrinkly skin of a hellbender and experience the challenges of finding food, shelter and nesting sites.
Enter creative mode and have fun redesigning your own river stretch.
Help the Hellbender - A Minecraft Conservation Quest
Going live September 8, 2026! Join the quest and explore the challenges and ecological threats to hellbenders. You will face tasks from gathering hellbender eggs, caring for hellbenders in captivity and later releasing them into the wild.
Discover This Exciting New Teaching Tool
The Nature of Teaching Lesson Plan - Going live September 8, 2026
Help the Hellbender: A Conservation Quest to Protect and Preserve Their Habitat
Students will step into the world of conservation with this new educational resource from Nature of Teaching! This interactive lesson plan uses Minecraft Education to teach students about the endangered Eastern Hellbender salamander and the importance of healthy waterways. Through immersive gameplay and hands-on activities, learners become environmental heroes while having fun!
Lesson Plan
The inspiration for this lesson is based on the desire to reach a larger audience to engage students in learning about wildlife conservation through game-based learning using the hellbender as a focal species and complement the hellbender Minecraft Education game. After playing the game, students will be able to complete the Nature of Teaching lesson in-class activities and apply what they learned during the hellbender Minecraft Education game.
Overview
High-School 9-12th Grade
Estimated time: Option 1: Two-Day Format (Recommended) – Two 50-minute lessons
Option 2: One-Day Format – One 50-minute lesson
Total Required Learning Time: 50 min in-class lesson(s) where students will apply knowledge and learn from each other through an interactive lecture, discussion, and group problem solving activity.
Learning Goals
After this lesson, students will be able to:
- Understand ways to give hellbenders a better chance to thrive in their natural environment through landscape conservation efforts.
- Value the complex issues and teamwork needed to solve problems in the field of wildlife conservation.
Lesson Plan
The inspiration for this lesson is based on the desire to reach a larger audience to engage students in learning about wildlife conservation through game-based learning using the hellbender as a focal species and complement the hellbender Minecraft Education game. After playing the game, students will be able to complete the Nature of Teaching lesson in-class activities and apply what they learned during the hellbender Minecraft Education game.
Overview
High-School 9-12th Grade
Estimated time: Option 1: Two-Day Format (Recommended) – Two 50-minute lessons
Option 2: One-Day Format – One 50-minute lesson
Total Required Learning Time: 50 min in-class lesson(s) where students will apply knowledge and learn from each other through an interactive lecture, discussion, and group problem solving activity.
Learning Goals
After this lesson, students will be able to:
- Understand ways to give hellbenders a better chance to thrive in their natural environment through landscape conservation efforts.
- Value the complex issues and teamwork needed to solve problems in the field of wildlife conservation.