Protecting Loon Habitat

The Nongame Wildlife Program’s top priority for the MN Loon Restoration Project is protecting lakeshore habitat through habitat acquisition and easements. Permanently protecting natural lakeshore and providing quality habitat is the best strategy for ensuring loons successfully breed, nest, forage, and rear young. We are focusing our efforts on areas with active nests and deep, clear lakes that are resilient to climate change and threatened by human encroachment.

We are working with the United States Geological Survey (USGS) and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) to identify key lakeshore in our project focus area.

 

Why Protect Lakeshore?

Lakeshore plays a critical role in the life cycle of loons—for nesting, rearing young, and migrating.

Nesting

Male and female loons use reeds and grasses along shorelines to build their nests. Once the nest is complete, the pair takes turns incubating the eggs. Chicks emerge in 28 to 30 days.

Rearing Young

Adult loons initially rear their young close to shore where their nests are located. Chicks swim and dive alongside their parents. The adults also carry their chicks on their back, most likely to protect the young from predators.

Migration Staging

Lakeshore also provides important migration staging areas. Loons rest and feed along shorelines as they travel to and from wintering grounds.

 

What you can do to support loon habitat

Score your shore

We all love a view of the lake, but removing vegetation along shorelines can have negative impacts on water quality by increasing nutrient runoff and shoreline erosion, and it removes wildlife habitat. Score Your Shore is an easy way to test the condition of your shoreline and it provides tips on how to make shoreline improvements that are both beautiful and beneficial.

Maintain natural shoreline areas

Natural shoreline is vital to lake health, but we are losing our natural shorelines at an alarming rate. Protecting and maintaining natural shoreline areas from disturbance and development is one of the best ways you can support Minnesota lakes. You can also preserve your natural shoreline for future generations with a conservation easement.

Restore your shore

Restoring your shore is another great way you can support Minnesota loons and lakes. Our Restore Your Shore program has many resources to guide you through the process. Your local Soil and Water Conservation District (SWCD) may also have additional information on guidance related to your area.

Be Loon Aware

Loons nest on shoreline or near shoreline areas beginning in May each year. Human disturbance can interrupt their incubation and potentially cause nest failure. Give loons plenty of space during the summer and Be Loon Aware.

 

Questions? Contact [email protected]

Restoration of Common Loons in Minnesota (Minnesota Loon Restoration Project) is funded by the Open Ocean Trustee Implementation Group through the Natural Resource Damage Assessment Deepwater Horizon settlement.