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"Even as an ecologist, I've only seen one before... It was such an awesome find."find."f Mudpuppies are the largest member of the sala- mander family living in this area, growing as long as 48 centimetres in adult- hood, according to the Roy- al Ontario Museum Field Guide to Amphibians and Reptiles of Ontario. They are fully aquatic, have vis- ible external gills, tend to be brownish in colour and live near the floor of lakes, rivers and ponds. "My coworker was on her knees digging through the mud (when the first one) squirted past her," said Dunn. "She squealed and didn't know what it was at first. We all came runningfirst. We all came runningf and were shocked to see it." While not designated as a species at risk, mudpup- pies are nocturnal crea- tures and are rarely spot- ted. The last one seen in the Sixteen Mile Creek was about 30 years ago, said Dunn. They're present in Bronte Creek, with the last sighting there in 2014, and are occasionally caught by ice fishers in the harbour, she said. Because the species is so elusive, the discovery doesn't necessarily indicate any changes to the creek's health. "But it's a good indi- cation that we have lots of natural diversity and good water conditions," said Dunn, adding it could mean there is minimal runoff go- ing into the water. "Species like this are very sensitive to herbicides." The discovery occurred July 9 when conservation authority staff began a multi-day mission to re- move all fish and wildlife from a section of the creekfrom a section of the creekf that is part of a restoration project. To catch the vari- ous creek-dwelling crea- tures, workers used tech- niques including pumping water out of the stream, dragging a net along the bottom and applying a mild electric current to stun fish and make them easier to catch. More than 500 freshwa- ter mussels, 3,000 fish and 30 mudpuppies were relo- cated downstream, said Dunn.She encouraged members of the public to avoid trying to find mud-avoid trying to find mud-a puppies on their own, say- ing "while it's an exciting find, it's important to keepfind, it's important to keepf wild animals wild. " Trying to find them may adversely impact them by damaging their habitats." NEWS Conservation Halton ecologists discovered dozens of mudpuppies in 16 Mile Creek in July 2018. The species had not been seen in the creek for 30 years. Conservation Halton/submitted MUDPUPPY LOVE: ELUSIVE CREATURES DISCOVERED IN 16 MILE CREEK SAIRA PEESKER speesker@metroland.com THE LARGE, AQUATIC SALAMANDERS WERE SPOTTED IN THE CREEK JULY 9 FOR THE FIRST TIME IN 30 YEARS