Protecting The Loons
Sharing the waterways with loons and other waterfowl is a special privilege. You can help keep our watershed hospitable to these creatures by observing some simple courtesies.
Photo by Elizabeth McLanahan
- No wake zones are critical for nesting loons. A great number of loons summer on Upper Saranac. The haunting calls echoing across the lake signal the return of summer. Pairs build nests hidden in grasses right on the shorline, incubate their eggs for a month and raise their young.
- When disturbed, the loons signal their distress by steadily swimming away, flapping their wings, or calling in a loud wail. Harassment may cause adults to abandon a nest, leaving the eggs accessible to predators. Any disturbance is particularly harmful to young hatchlings that tire easily.
- You can help! Keep your boat or PWC wake to a minimum near shore. Go no closer than 500 feet from known loon nests.
