People Protecting the Lake
Since 1885.
Lake George
Association – P.O. Box 408 – Lake George, NY 12845
(518) 668-3558 – Fax
(518) 668-4702 – www.lakegeorgeassociation.org
July 1, 2008
For
Immediate Release
Contact: Emily DeBolt
Education and Outreach
Coordinator
Lake George Association
Phone: (518) 668-3558
LGA seeks VOLUNTEERS to HELP WITH LOON CENSUS
Lake George, NY – For the second consecutive summer, the Lake George Association (LGA) is helping the Adirondack Loon Conservation Program by coordinating volunteers who would like to participate in the Annual Loon Census on Lake George.
On Saturday, July 19th from 8-9 a.m., the Adirondack Loon
Conservation Program (formerly the Adirondack Cooperative Loon Program) will
conduct its 8th Annual Loon Census to monitor and assess long-term trends in
the loon population summering in the Adirondack Park. Participants report on
the number of adult and juvenile loons observed during the census. Coordinated
with similar counts in the Northeast, the census enables scientists to
determine changes in loon populations from a state and a regional perspective.
Once again, the Lake George Association will be seeking and organizing volunteers to monitor Lake George. Most lakes that participate in the program only need one volunteer. However, since Lake George is one of the larger participating lakes, more than one volunteer is needed to adequately cover the lake. In past years, only portions of the lake in the Narrows and North Basin have been monitored.
To prevent duplicate observations, it is requested that all
census observers on Lake George contact the LGA to sign up for a section of the
lake. To participate in the Loon Census on Lake George, contact Emily DeBolt at
the LGA at 668-3558.
In 2007, the LGA coordinated coverage of fourteen locations from Dunhams Bay in the southern basin to Mossy Point in the north. Volunteers were assigned to different stretches of shoreline in order to assure a greater coverage but avoid overlap and counting the same loon more than once.
During the census, 14 volunteer groups saw
5 loons on Lake George. One pair of an adult and an immature adult were
seen in Northwest Bay on the eastern side and one lone adult was also seen on
the western side of the bay. One
immature adult was seen in Gull Bay and one adult was seen in the bay by the
Roger’s Rock campgrounds. To see photos from last
year’s loon volunteers, go to http://www.lakegeorgeassociation.org/loon_monitoring.htm.
Lake George has been included in the census since 2004. No loons were recorded on Lake George for the 2004 census and only 1 loon was recorded in the 2005 census. In 2006, three adult loons and one immature loon were seen on Lake George.
The official results will be posted on the ACLP’s website once they compile all of the data for the 2008 census. For more info about the ACLP or the annual loon census, go to www.adkscience.org/loons.
The LGA is a not-for-profit membership organization of
people interested in working together to protect, conserve, and improve the
beauty and quality of the Lake George Basin. For more information, contact the
LGA at (518) 668-3558 or check out LGA on the web at www.lakegeorgeassociation.org.
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