Northern Wilds

The Minnesota DNR is looking for volunteers in Itasca, Lake and Cook counties in northeast Minnesota to perform a one-day loon survey this summer.

The Minnesota Loon Monitoring Program is now in its 15th year. Lake monitors are assigned to a pre-selected lake to count the number of loons they see on one morning between July 3 and July 13. Surveys are done between 5 am and noon.

Volunteers are encouraged to participate in the program for multiple years. The time commitment is two to four hours per lake.

Monitoring loons tells us more than the loon count, because loon populations are often an indicator of the health of a lake.

DNR is seeking monitors for the following lakes:

• Cook County – Caribou, Finger, Frear, North Wigwam, Star
• Lake County – Alger, Artlip, Besho, Bone, Dam Five, Divide, East 38-20, Homestead, Lost, Mound, Organ, Sister, South Wigwam
• Itasca County – Cad, Caribou, Copenhagen, East, Forest, Gunn, Hill, Johnson, Little Dick, Little East, Little Long, Moon, Orange, Pear, Pickerel, Plantation, Plum, Slauson, Spruce Island, West Smith, Unnamed (31-651).

To sign up to monitor a lake for loons, please contact Sue Backe at (218) 999-7808 or susan.backe@dnr.state.mn.us.