Conservation
Protect Our Loons, Protect Our Lakes, Protect Our Future
Loons are powerful symbols of wild, clean lakes and their presence informs us about the health of freshwater ecosystems. Protecting loons means protecting clear water, intact shorelines and nesting areas free from disturbance. Conservation efforts, such as reducing shoreline development, keeping wakes low near nests, using non-lead fishing tackle, and keeping discarded fishing line in the boat, directly support loon survival and help ensure that chicks can safely hatch and grow.
By caring for the habitats that loons depend on, we also safeguard drinking water, recreation, and biodiversity for future generations, making loon conservation a crucial part of caring for the broader natural world.
Nest Rafts
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What
Nest rafts are floating platforms created to move up and down with water level fluctuations. ACLC deploys rafts that use trap wire shaped over cross beams and buoyed by artificial flotation material that can be placed in the spring and removed during the winter months. Planter boxes on the ends provide space for native plants to give the raft a more natural feel. Some nest rafts use avian guards that are deployed to decrease predation by avian predators.
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Why
Floating nest platforms can help loon pairs that repeatedly lose nests to flooding from high water, chronic predation, and human disturbance. Climate change has caused increased rain events and sudden changes in water level that can overwhelm loon nests. While some level of nest failure is natural and normal in a healthy loon population, the ACLC implements nest rafts to help restore loons that were lost in the Bouchard Barge 120 oil spill in Buzzards Bay.
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How
Nest rafts need to be deployed thoughtfully, and are not always the best solution to chronic nest failure. By increasing the number of desirable nesting locations, nest rafts can actually increase territorial fights that lead to lower nesting success. If you think loons on your lake might benefit from a nest raft, email us at the button below. Homemade rafts are not recommended, as improperly designed rafts can harm loons. Contact research@adkloon.org if you think a nest raft is right for your lake.
Stewardship Programs
Environmental stewardship is all about taking action to manage or steward the natural resources and spaces we live and work in. It is both a philosophy and a practice, and requires active participation at the local level. ACLC’s stewardship programs aim to educate, equip and empower community members to steward their lake communities in ways that promote healthy habitats for loons and other wildlife.
The Loon Friendly Lakes program supports members of lake communities who want to learn more about the health of their waterways and be a responsible steward of them.
Loon Friendly Lakes Certification Program
Lead poisoning from lead fishing tackle is a leading cause of death for common loons. Learn about programs to help people make the switch to lead-free tackle.
Fish Lead-Free Programs
Fishing Line Recycling Containers
Encourage properly discarding of used fishing line by installing and maintaining a fishing line recycling container.
Rescuing Loons in Distress
Loons face many threats to their success and survival. Some of these threats are human-caused or human-influenced, such as the presence of lead fishing tackle and discarded fishing line in lakes, or the presence of roads that can look like lake surfaces after rain.
ACLC researchers and volunteers respond to calls about distressed loons when it is safe to do so because rescuing individual adult breeding loons impacts the whole population.
Adult loons are the engines of the population. They live a long time, but raise very few chicks each year, and many of those chicks never make it to adulthood. Because of this, loon populations depend heavily on high adult survival. Losing even one breeding adult can mean the loss of many future generations of chicks. Adult loons also return to the same lake year after year, anchoring successful nesting territories. When we rescue a sick or injured adult, we’re not just helping one bird, we’re protecting the long-term stability and recovery of the entire loon population on that lake.
Learn about common loon behavior and how to identify a loon in distress.
Spotted a loon in distress? Email us, or call 518-354-8636.
Report Loons in Distress or Deceased Loons
It is natural for loons to face injury or death from territorial disputes with other loons and from predators like eagles, which prey on loon chicks. While it can be difficult to witness, these threats are the natural ones that loons have evolved to live with.
Human-caused threats to loons, however, are not ones that loons or other wild animals have evolved to navigate. Fishing line entanglement, boat strikes, lead poisoning and car strikes when loons land on roadways are all instances where ACLC researchers and volunteers are ready to intervene to rescue a distressed loon.
If you find a deceased loon, please contact us. Sending deceased loons to the DEC Wildlife Health Unit for necropsy allows us to gather data about impacts of lead poisoning and disease spread.
In the event that the ACLC is unable to assist a loon that is immediately in need of rescue, please contact:
To find contact information for loon rescuers outside of New York State, please visit the National Loon Center’s directory page.
We are able to rescue loons and do preliminary evaluations. We are not permitted to work with other wildlife species or in areas outside of New York State. If a rescued bird requires additional care, we transport it to partnering veterinarians.