Loon Preservation Committee receives 2013 SOEI Loon Research Award

March 11, 2013

The Sigurd Olson Environmental Institute at Northland College will be awarding the Loon Preservation Committee as the recipient of the 2013 Sigurd T. Olson Loon Research Award. The committee submitted the winning proposal that seeks to examine how contaminants in the food web may contribute to declining loon populations.

The proposed study, "Contaminants in the Food Web and the Decline of the Common Loon Population on Squam Lake, New Hampshire," will be led by researchers Tiffany Grade and Harry Vogel of the Loon Preservation Committee, as well as Dr. Kerry Yurewicz of Plymouth State University.

"This project is a part of a larger study by the Loon Preservation Committee (LPC) to investigate the precipitous decline and subsequent reproductive failure of Common Loons on Squam Lake, New Hampshire, since 2005," said Grade. "For this portion of the project, we plan to analyze crayfish samples for contaminants to investigate the spread of these contaminants across the lake that may have contributed to the decline in the loon population and reproductive success."

The researchers said crayfish samples from areas of the lake where loon pairs have disappeared will help fill data gaps in regards to contaminant levels from these areas of the lake.

"With these data, we will be able to begin to look for a connection between contaminant burdens across various levels in the food chain and in distinct territories that differ in loon pair presence and reproductive success," said Yurewicz.

The Loon Preservation Committee is a nonprofit organization dedicated to the study and protection of common loons and their aquatic habitats. The award will fund one year of the project and is administered by the LoonWatch program.

Since 1986, the Loon Research Award has provided funding for original research that leads to better understanding and management of loon populations. This award program is named after biologist Sigurd T. Olson. Olson authored the 1952 paper "The Common Loon in Minnesota" with William H. Marshall. The publication is considered one of the premier baseline reports on the biology of the Common Loon.

For more information about this award or ways to become involved with LoonWatch, contact program coordinator Erica LeMoine by phone at (715) 682-1220 or by email at elemoine@northland.edu. Visit LoonWatch online at www.northland.edu/loonwatch.