National Loon Center Foundation Inc

THE NATIONAL LOON CENTER SUBSTANTIALLY EXPANDED ITS IMPACT IN 2022 TO NEARLY 6,000 PEOPLE IN PERSON AND MANY THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE VIA OUR COMMUNICATIONS CHANNELS. THESE INDIVIDUALS WERE ENGAGED DIRECTLY IN THE CONSERVATION OF LOONS AND FRESHWATER ECOSYSTEMS. HERE ARE SOME OF THE IMPACTS: CONTINUED TO FUND NECROPSIES TO QUANTIFY LOON MORTALITY CAUSES, COLLECTING AND DELIVERING 8 SPECIMENS TO THE UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA'S DIAGNOSTIC LABORATORY.CONTRIBUTED TO THE MINNESOTA POLLUTION CONTROL AGENCY'S WATER MONITORING PROGRAM BY COLLECTING 16 WATER CLARITY MEASUREMENTS FROM TWO STREAM SITES ON THE PINE RIVER AND 19 MEASUREMENTS FROM CROSS LAKE.LAUNCHED THE STEWARDSHIP, A PONTOON USED FOR LOON AND FRESHWATER EDUCATION, WHICH PROVIDED 37 TOTAL TRIPS THAT ENABLED 439 PEOPLE TO ENJOY THE FREE STEWARDSHIP TOURS. STEWARDSHIP PARTICIPANTS HELPED TAKE A TOTAL OF 19 SECCHI DISK MEASUREMENTS FOR THE MPCA'S VOLUNTEER WATER MONITORING PROGRAM.THE 2022 RESEARCH EFFORT, WHICH MONITORED 132 LOON TERRITORIES ACROSS 74 LAKES, FOUND THAT 54 PREVIOUSLY BANDED ADULT LOONS RETURNED TO THE STUDY AREA IN 2022, INCLUDING 48 ADULTS BANDED IN 2021 AND SIX LOONS PREVIOUSLY BANDED BY THE USGS. A TOTAL OF 81 LOONS WERE NEWLY BANDED THIS YEAR (39 ADULTS AND 42 CHICKS). OVER THE PAST TWO YEARS, 87 ADULT LOONS HAVE BEEN BANDED AND 80 CHICKS (167 TOTAL BANDED LOONS).EDUCATED 5,000 VISITORS TO THE NEST ON THE CROSSLAKE TOWN SQUARE - OUR TEMPORARY VISITOR AND WELCOME CENTER.CONDUCTED MINNESOTA LOONS & FRESHWATER ECOSYSTEMS WORKSHOP IN COLLABORATION WITH NORTHERN WATERS LAND TRUST AND THE DEPARTMENT OF NATURAL RESOURCES' MINNESOTA LOON RESTORATION PROJECT.