I have several exciting pieces of news to report today. To begin, the loons on our
live loon cam
are nesting! The first egg was laid on May 25th, followed by the second on May 27th. If all goes well, hatch is expected between June 22nd and 24th. From now until hatch, LPC biologists will be present in the YouTube chat on Sundays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays from 5
–
7 pm to answer questions about loon biology, threats to loons, and the work of LPC. Join us for good discussion!
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Several other loons throughout the state have joined our loon cam pair in nesting. Since they began their surveys on May 20th, LPC biologists have documented over 70 nesting loon pairs throughout New Hampshire, with many more expected over the course of the next few weeks. If you see a loon nest on any of New Hampshire's lakes and ponds, let us know by replying to this email! Please remember to stay at least 150 feet away from nesting loons, and give them additional space if they begin performing stress behaviors such as hanging low over the nest. For more information about recognizing stress behavior in loons, please see our digital pamphlet
HERE
.
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This year, our Member-A-Day in May membership drive was an incredible success. We more than doubled our original goal, ending the month with an impressive 78 new members! Thank you to all of our members for supporting the important work that we do on behalf of loons in New Hampshire.
Congratulations to the winners of our four raffle prizes: Robin B. of New Durham, Robin W. of Hampstead, Amy M. of Deerfield, and Sharon B. of Amherst.
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While most loons in NH are only part way into their incubation period, these early birds hatched two chicks on June 9th! Photo courtesy of Joanne Killmer.
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I am pleased to report that LPC and New Hampshire Fish and Game have partnered up to dramatically expand our lead tackle buyback program in 2019! From now through September 2nd (or until all 1,200 vouchers have been claimed), anglers can visit participating tackle shops to exchange one ounce or more of illegal lead fishing tackle (lead sinkers and jigs weighing one ounce or less) for a $10 certificate to that shop. For more information about this exciting new program and a list of participating retailers, please visit
loonsafe.org
This buyback program follows a wildly successful pilot program conducted during the summer of 2018, in which over 4,700 illegal sinkers and jigs were collected at 2 participating shops. Every one of these pieces of lead tackle had the potential to kill a loon. This summer's program expands upon our efforts from last summer by greatly increasing the number of participating shops and the number of certificates available. Participating shops this year were chosen in order to maximize spatial coverage of the state. We hope that by improving angler access to participating shops, we can increase participation in the program and help to protect loons statewide.
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Here I am, inventorying the lead fishing tackle collected during the 2018 Lead Tackle Buyback Pilot Program.
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Unfortunately, LPC has already collected our first lead mortality of 2019. Please help us prevent further lead deaths by turning in any lead fishing tackle and encouraging others to do the same!
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This loon, collected on Massabesic Lake in early May, died of lead poisoning after ingesting lead fishing tackle (circled in red).
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All the best,
Caroline
Caroline Hughes
Volunteer/Outreach Coordinator
Loon Preservation Committee
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Upcoming Events
The hatch on
LPC's Live Loon Cam is expected between
June 22nd and June 24th. Click
HERE to watch!
Join us for our
Summer Nature Talk Series
, every
Thursday
from July 11th-August 22nd at
7 PM
. For a list of topics, please click
HERE
.
The
2019 Loon Census
will be held on
Saturday July 20th, from 8:00-9:00 AM
. For more information about the Loon Census, please click
HERE.
After the census, join us at the
Loon Center
for the
Loon Festival
, from 10:00 AM-2:00 PM.
The
Carl Johnson Memorial Golf Tournamen
t will be held on
Monday, August 19th
. Pre-registration is required for this event
— please contact LPC at
(603)476-5666
or by email at
info@loon.org
for more information.
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Loon Preservation Committee | 603-476-LOON (5666) | www.loon.org
Loon Center Hours: Open Thursday through Saturday, 9 am to 5 pm
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The Loon Preservation Committee is dedicated to restoring and maintaining a healthy population of loons throughout New Hampshire; monitoring the health and productivity of loon populations as sentinels of environmental quality; and promoting a greater understanding of loons and the natural world.
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