Whether you live alongside a lake or only occasionally visit your favorite pond, you have many options for joining VCE in the conservation of Common Loons.
LoonWatch volunteer Shannon Maes on Lyford Pond
If you’re a returning volunteer, find information for 2025 here.
Annual LoonCount
Each year on a single day on the third Saturday of July, VCE and our volunteers cover more than 160 lakes and ponds statewide. It’s the single most effective way for VCE to document and track breeding loons across the state. Survey a lake — or if you’ve got time, a few — for one hour on that Saturday.
Contact Eric and Eloise at for more information on how to join. If you’re a returning volunteer, find information for 2025 here.
LoonMonitor
On lakes with nesting pairs or other known loon activity, volunteers monitor loons weekly or every two or three weeks from mid-May through August. On lakes with loon activity but no nests, volunteers visit and monitor the pair one to four times a month from mid-May to mid-July. This program is great for folks who have summer camps on lakes or live nearby. More than one volunteer can adopt a lake.
Contact Eric and Eloise at for more information on how to join. If you’re a returning volunteer, find information for 2025 here.
Loons Observations
Any loon sighting is worth recording for science. Please add your loon encounters to Vermont eBird. Learn how to Report Your LoonWatch Results to Vermont eBird:
