Learn to appreciate them from a distance
Few wildlife encounters rival hearing the haunting call of the loon or seeing them glide by in protected coves on a lake. So, for the birds’ protection, we’re asking boaters and anglers to enjoy loons from a safe distance this summer and adhere to the no-wake zone of 200 feet from shorelines to avoid destroying loon nests.
“Loons were removed from Vermont’s endangered species list in 2005, but two threats loons face are human disturbance during the breeding season and ingestion of fishing gear,” said Doug Morin, wildlife biologist with Vermont Fish & Wildlife.
“Although most areas where loons are nesting on Vermont’s lakes are surrounded by signs reminding people to give loons the space they need, not all nesting areas are marked. We’re asking people to view loons using binoculars rather than from up close, whether they are in a boat, a canoe or a kayak.”
Morin also reminds people to avoid lead fishing tackle. Two loons died from lead fishing gear ingestion in 2019. Loons sometimes swallow stray fishing tackle and suffer the effects of lead poisoning. Lead sinkers weighing one-half ounce or less are illegal in Vermont, but larger tackle still has the capacity to slough off lead into the environment over time.
Morin also recommends anglers to be careful to not attract loons to their bait and lures, and especially do not leave any fishing line behind as it can kill loons.
Volunteers interested in monitoring loons for the Loon Conservation Project should contact Eric Hanson from the Vermont Center for Ecostudies at ehanson@vtecostudies.org.
Volunteers can monitor lakes all summer long with a focus on lakes with loon pairs and nesting. Some adopt-a-lake sites that need volunteers (listed from north to south) are Great Averill Lake, Little Averill Lake, Island Pond, Maidstone Lake, Jobs Pond, Center Pond, Salem Lake, Lake Memphremagog, Clyde Pond, South Bay, May Pond, Hardwick Lake, Nelson Pond, Stiles Pond, Moore Reservoir, Comerford Reservoir, Keiser Pond, Ewell Pond, Peacham Pond, Osmore Pond, Kent Pond, Lake Rescue, Lake Hortonia, Lake Bomoseen, Lake St. Catherine, Gale Meadows Pond, and Harriman Reservoir.
Volunteers can also survey one or two lakes on Loonwatch Day, being held on July 18 this year, between 8 and 9 a.m. The goal is to survey all lakes greater than 20 acres at the same time, which provides a population count and checks on small lakes that are surveyed less often during the rest of year.
