MN DNR seeks volunteers for loon monitoring program

Attention loon watchers! The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources is looking for your help.

Every year, the MN DNR conducts a monitoring program documenting loon populations on 600 lakes across six regions of the state. In an announcement dated June 2, they put out the call for volunteers. MN DNR employs a team of citizen scientists to monitor loon numbers each year.

For 2025 the monitoring program will run from July 4 and July 14. Volunteers are asked to observe one or more lakes and commit to at least one hour per lake. Observations should be made in the morning, between 5 a.m. and noon.

Specifically, the MN DNR is looking for the number of adult and juvenile loons counted on each of the lakes they are monitoring. Volunteers can watch from the shore or by boat, depending on the size of the lake.

The MN DNR has been conducting the loon survey with the help of citizen scientists for over 30 years. In the announcement,  DNR Nongame Wildlife Specialist Gaea Crozier said, “The data collected allow us to track changes in the loon population over time and identify potential management needs and opportunities on Minnesota lakes.”

Bird watchers in Lake and Cook Counties who are interested in participating can contact Regional Loon Monitoring Coordinator Bry Persing with questions by phone at 218-735-3962, or by email at bryonna.persing@state.mn.us. Volunteers can also sign up through the MN DNR website. That site also includes a map with information on which lakes are still available for volunteers to claim.

Kirsten Wisniewski June 3, 2025