REGIONAL— The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources is seeking volunteers to help monitor the loon population in several counties in northern Minnesota, including Cook, Itasca, and Lake counties.
Volunteers are needed for a minimum of one morning during the July 4 through July 14 monitoring period, to count the number of adult and juvenile loons on pre-selected lakes.
“The data collected allow us to track changes in the loon population over time and identify potential management needs and opportunities on Minnesota lakes,” said DNR Nongame Wildlife Specialist Gaea Crozier.
Volunteers can choose one or more lakes on which to count the number of adult and juvenile loons. They will then report these observations to the DNR for analysis.
The time commitment is one to four hours per lake. Each lake’s survey must be done between 5 a.m. and noon on a single day of the volunteer’s choosing, within the July 4-14 date range.
Volunteers must commit to completing one or more assigned lakes and are encouraged to consider participating in the program for multiple years. Surveys can be conducted from shore on smaller lakes or by boat or canoe on larger lakes.
To sign up as a survey volunteer and select a lake, go to the DNR’s loon monitoring program webpage (mndnr.gov/eco/nongame/projects/mlmp_state.html) and click on “Volunteer Map.” Select an available lake, add it to the volunteer cart and sign up to become a loon surveyor.
People considering volunteering in Cook, Lake, or Itasca counties can contact regional loon monitoring coordinator Bry Persing, 218-735-3962, bryonna.persing@state.mn.us with any questions.