Recipient Organization
STATE UNIV OF NEW YORK
(N/A)
SYRACUSE,NY 13210
Performing Department
Environmental Biology
Non Technical Summary
The goal of this project is to restore breeding Common Loons in New York's Adirondack Park that were killed by the 2003 Bouchard Barge 120 oil spill in Buzzards Bay, Massachusetts and Rhode Island. This project will be conducted by the Adirondack Center for Loon Conservation in collaboration with SUNY-ESF's Adirondack Ecological Center, New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, fishing outfitters, and lake associations in NY's Adirondack Park, a six-million-acre mosaic of private and public lands and waters.In the last two decades, the reproductive success of the Adirondack loon population has shown a steady decline, with fewer nesting pairs and fewer chicks hatching and surviving to fledging. Additionally, there has been an increase in the morbidity and mortality of adult Adirondack loons due to fishing line entanglement, lead poisoning, human disturbance, conspecific interactions, and predation by Bald Eagles.Thus, to restore the loons lost in the B-120 spill and address the current concerns of reduced loon productivity and increased morbidity and mortality, the objectives of this project are to:1. Increase the reproductive success of Common Loons breeding in NY's Adirondack Park. A variety of management efforts will be employed over the five years of this project, including deployment of 50 loon nest rafts, 50-75 avian guards, and signage/buoys and rope-lines around 20-50 loon nest sites. Additionally, the ACLC will collaborate with 100 Adirondack lake associations to implement its Loon-Friendly Lake Certification Program to inspire community-based environmental stewardship to better protect Adirondack loons and increase their reproductive success.2. Reduce the morbidity and mortality of Adirondack loons. We will use a combination of community outreach programs and of loon rescue and rehabilitation to reduce exposure of loons to fishing-related threats, morbidity, and mortality, including:a. A Lead Buy-Back Program implemented at 75 Adirondack fishing tackle outfitters.b. Fishing line recycling containers distributed at 100 sites in the Adirondack Park.c. Establishment of three loon rescue teams at key locations in the Park, increasing the efficiency of loon rescues.d. Establishment of a loon rehabilitation facility at the Adirondack Ecological Center in Newcomb, NY, to provide state-of-the-art veterinary diagnostics, treatment, and rehabilitation for distressed loons.The expected outcomes of this project are:1. Increased loon reproductive success on managed nest sites compared to unmanaged sites and historical productivity.2. Reduced loon morbidity and mortality.a. Increased utilization of non-toxic tackle by Adirondack anglers, and removal of more than 50 pounds of lead fishing tackle from use, thus decreasing exposure of loons to lead toxicity.b. Increased response time, efficiency, and success of capturing distressed Adirondack loons.c. Veterinary-supervised diagnosis, treatment, and rehabilitation of distressed loons. Additionally, research and training opportunities in loon health/rehabilitation provided to wildlife students, rehabilitators, and professionals.3. Expanded public awareness of conservation concerns affecting the Adirondack loon population.4. An established Adirondack lake community stewardship program to increase community activities to protect loons.The effectiveness of this project at restoring loon-years lost in New York's Adirondack Park as a result of the B-120 oil spill will be assessed by annual and five-year statistical analyses of loon reproductive success, rescue attempts, health, and by monitoring the survival and productivity of released banded birds. The following parameters will be tracked:1. Monitoring Adirondack Loon Reproductive Success: Study lakes will be monitored intensively for a 12-week period every breeding season to determine loon reproductive success. Annual and five-year averaged reproductive success of protected nests and nest rafts will be compared with unprotected nests, natural nest sites, and with historical records.2. Implementing the Lead Buy-Back, Fishing Line Recycling, and Loon-Friendly Lake Certification Programs:a. ACLC will track the annual number and weight of lead fishing tackle collected, the number of vouchers provided to anglers, and the amount of line collected and recycled, as well as the number of lake and loon stewardship activities conducted, and volunteer loon nest and family monitoring efforts.b. Pre- and post-participation surveys will be conducted to assess the effectiveness of outreach efforts. 3. Monitoring Loon Rescues: The number of distressed loon reports, capture attempts, deceased loons, loons that were never caught, and rescued loons will be tracked. The cause of distress and outcomes of rescue attempts will also be documented and analyzed to identify temporal and spatial trends of the cause of distressed loons.4. Establishment of a Loon Rehabilitation Facility: The number of loons entering rehabilitation, diagnoses, and disposition of the birds will be tracked annually. Rescued and rehabilitated loons will be banded prior to release to enable tracking of the birds to determine survival and reproductive success in subsequent years. The number of students, rehabilitators, and personnel participating in loon rescues, rehabilitation, and trainings will also be trackedAwarded Start Date: 7/1/2021Sponsor: Adirondack Center for Loon Conservation
Animal Health Component
100%
Research Effort Categories
Basic
(N/A)
Applied
100%
Developmental
(N/A)
Goals / Objectives
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Project Methods
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