Throughout the course of our recovery and protection work on behalf of Common Loons, VCE has collaborated on loon research with other biologists and conservation organiztions.
We're a member of the Northeast Loon Study Workgroup (NELSWG), an alliance of state, federal, and private conservation organizations in the Northeast and in Canada.
VCE’s regular encounters with Common Loons allow us to collaborate with other researchers in a number of areas:
- Mortality Studies – We send all recovered deceased loons to Tufts University Wildlife Veterinary Program to determine the likely cause of mortality.
- Population Modeling – Our 30 years of data on Common Loons help researchers evaluate risks and to determine what causes loon populations to rise and fall.
- Mercury Toxicity – VCE and our research colleages have determined that mercury presents a genuine but low-level risk to Vermont loons.
- Climate Change – The longer we study loons, the more we can understand what a warming planet means for these birds.
