A program of the

Stacy CraigEnvironmental Education CoordinatorTel: 715-682-1220Email: loonwatch@northland.edu www.northland.edu/loonwatch

Figure 1: Annual Loon Ranger participation and lakes monitored data

Citizen Monitoring

Citizen Science

Good Great

Mike Meyer, Doug Killian, Dennis StockwellWDNR Science Services

Rhinelander

R82-905

Wisconsin Loon Population Assessment

Photo credit: Doug Killian

Wisconsin Department of Natural Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources USGS UMESC, LaCrosse, WI Resources USGS UMESC, LaCrosse, WI

University of Wisconsin - MadisonUniversity of Wisconsin - Madison

Site/scale

Risk Assessment Region

Lake chemistry and Hg deposition rates favor elevated MeHg in fish in some northcentral Wisconsin Lakes.

What Does a Loon Citizen Scientist Do?

• Collect loon population data necessary to update the Wisconsin Loon Population Model

• Identify critical loon nesting habitat for conservation and management

• Assist with loon banding and lake water chemistry projects.

Weekly lake surveys document presence of territorial adults and floaters, nest

attempts, and chick survival

How is this accomplished?

• Loon Citizen Scientists will survey lake(s) from May – August, ideally once weekly

• During each survey, the number of adult loons present, the nesting status, and chick survival are recorded

• Once per year, identify returning adults by identifying color leg bands when present

• Assist project staff with night banding efforts in July and early August

• Fill in appropriate data sheets and return to Project Leaders at the end of the season

Adult Survival Rate – Reobservations of >1200 Wisconsin adult loons individually

color-marked 1991 - 2008

Re-sightings, re-captures, and band recoveries used to calculate adult survival and to examine relationship of survival to gender, region, and mercury exposure

•Survival estimate based on re-observations = 0.91 (CI=0.88-0.94) No effect of gender, location or Hg exposure on adult loon survival rate (Mitro et al. ms. in review)

Wisconsin Adult Loon Reobservation Rates (Banded Previous Year)

2003-2007 Mitro et al. adult survival estimate 1994-2001= 91%

N=51 N=47 N=58N=58 N=54 N=54

(%)

Nest Monitoring

Proportion nesting Clutch size

Nest Success Chick Survival to Banding

Juvenile Survival from banding (week 6) to Year 3PI Dr. Walter Piper - Resightings of adults color-marked as chicksCluster of 60 lakes, >300 color-marked chicks 1994-2005

Reobservation Results - Minimum survival banding to 3 yrs = 0.58- age of first breeding = 5 years

COMMON LOON 2 STAGE DETERMINISTIC PROJECTION MATRIX MODEL

MATLAB version 7, The Mathworks, Natick, MA, USA

A(λ)= Population Annual Growth RateP1=juvenile survivalP2=adult survivalF2=adult fertilityG1=transition to adulthood

21

21

PG

FPA

Wisconsin Loon Population Annual Growth Rate 2002-2004

Assume Constant Adult (0.91) and Juvenile (0.53) Survival between years

2002 Annual Growth Rate = 1.00542002 fertility rates (bp=0.82, bs=0.42, cs=0.758)

2003 Annual Growth Rate = 1.01292003 fertility rates (bp=0.787, bs=0.417, cs=0.867)

2004 Annual Growth Rate = 1.02162004 fertility rates (bp=0.83, bs=0.452, cs=0.833)

Mean λ 2002-20041.013 + 0.008 (SD)

Loon Citizen Scientist Accuracy 2008

• Band reobservations - <50%• Territorial Pair presence/absence – 100%• Proportion Nesting – 85%• Nest outcome – 100%• Chick hatching – 95%• Chick survival – 100%

• Conclusion – Loon Citizen Scientists accurately identify territorial pair and nest outcome; trained staff required to quantify adult reobservation rates and rate of nesting

Ginger Gumm / Daniel Poleschook

Join Us – It’s Fun!!2007 = 17 volunteers2008 = 85 volunteers

Goal = 150-200 volunteers

Why Common Loon?

• Sensitive to effects of mercury

• altered behavior• reduced

reproduction

• At risk to exposure• high trophic level• long-lived• obligate fish-eater• nest on acidic lakes

Photo by Woody Hagge

Why Common Loon?

• Conspicuous ground nester - at risk to shoreland alteration– nests within 2-3 ft of

waters edge– >50% of nest attempts

fail

• Public highly motivated to conserve loons in Wisconsin

Photo by Doug Killian

Citizen Scientist Benefits• Participate in a State-of-the-Science Common Loon

Conservation project

• Contribute data critical to natural resource policy making in northern Wisconsin

• Receive annual newsletters describing citizen monitoring results and findings

• Participate in annual Spring Citizen Scientist Workshops

• Learn more about loons on your lake as you study their behaviors and nesting patterns