Banded Common Loon.
Photo courtesy of Ginger Gumm and Dan Poleschook
2009 Speakers Forum and Field TripsWoodie Wheaton Land Trust CenterForest City, Maine
Friday, July 17
(click above for details)
Notes From the field
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Study Area
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Partial funding for this project is supported by a cooperative agreement from the U.S. Department of the Interior,
Fish and Wildlife Service.
Loon Preservation: Responding to Spilled Oil
On January 19, 1996, the tug Scandia and barge North Cape, carrying 3.9 million gallons of No. 2 fuel oil, ran aground off Moonstone Beach in South Kingstown, Rhode Island. An estimated 828,000 gallons of home heating oil spilled along the coast, killing over 400 loons. Utilizing models based on the population dynamics of individual color-marked loons, mortality of these individuals was found to represent approximately 3,900 loon-years. The on-site replacement of this injury was deemed logistically impractical; restoration of the injury then focused on the protection of loon shoreline breeding habitat in New England.
Tug Scandia and tank barge North Cape ran aground spilling 828,000 gallons of home heating oil Moonstone Beach in South Kingstown, Rhode Island.
(Photo courtesy of the USFWS)
On May 25, 2005, Downeast Lakes Land Trust (DLLT) acquired the 27,000-acre Farm Cove Community Forest and New England Forestry Foundation (NEFF) acquired a conservation easement on 312,000 acres in the surrounding area. The purchased land and easement ensured the protection of over 445 miles of lake shorelines. The fee acquisitions and conservation easements of DLLT and NEFF were funded in part by U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS), acting for and on behalf of the Trustees of the North Cape Oil Spill.
DLLT began loon monitoring in 2001. BioDiversity Research Institute (BRI) joined the project in 2005, applying standardized loon survey methodologies to determine the number of territorial pairs and breeding success of loons. In conjunction with the DLLT, BRI has been monitoring 46 lakes to assess common loon territorial pairs, non-breeding individuals, nesting pairs, nest locations and hatching and fledgling success. The overall purpose of the study is to establish a baseline set of data, including number of territorial pairs and number of chicks fledged, that can be used in the future to evaluate potential changes in loon populations in the Downeast Lakes region.
In 2008, BRI and DLLT began capturing and sampling loons within the project area to assess impacts from the atmospheric deposition of mercury within the study area.
In 2009, three field staff will continue the surveying and banding efforts, including mapping and delineating loon territories.
About Downeast Lakes Land Trust
The Downeast Lakes Land Trust (DLLT) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization based in Grand Lake Stream, with a mission to contribute to the long-term economic and environmental well-being of the Downeast Lakes region through the conservation and exemplary management of its forests and waters. DLLT sustainably manages the 33,708-acre Farm Cove Community Forest for wildlife habitat, forest products, and public recreation, as described on its web site, www.downeastlakes.org. DLLT received Down East Magazine’s prestigious Environmental Award in 2006, was named a 2006 Landowner of the Year by the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife, and in 2007 became the first local land trust in Maine to earn Forest Stewardship Council Forest Management certification.
The Downeast Lakes region’s fisheries, including native landlocked salmon and brook and lake trout, as well as smallmouth bass, are world-renowned. This area is home to a diverse array of wildlife, including moose, white-tailed deer, black bears, bobcats, and at least 180 species of birds. The economy of Grand Lake Stream and the broader region is highly dependent upon natural resources, which provide livelihoods through the forest industry and sporting camp owners and employees. Visitors from around the globe make vital contributions to the Downeast Lakes economy. DLLT’s land management provides local guides and sporting camps an environment that is conducive to their continued success, contributing to the preservation of Grand Lake Stream’s unique heritage and culture.
