The Adirondack Center for Loon Conservation is one of six grant recipients in a natural resource damages settlement from the tank barge Bouchard B-120 oil spill that occurred in Buzzard’s Bay, MA, in April, 2003. More than 500 Common Loons wintering in Buzzard’s Bay were killed by the spill of No 6 Fuel Oil.
The B-120 spill natural resource damage assessment and restoration process provides funding, at no cost to taxpayers, to
replace, restore, rehabilitate, or acquire the equivalent of injured natural resources and resource services lost due to the release of hazardous substances into the environment.
Funds from the settlement are expected to be used over a five-year period to restore Common Loon populations throughout New England and New York through a variety of management activities. In New York, the Adirondack Center for Loon Conservation will be coordinating numerous projects to:
1. Increase Adirondack loon reproductive success through improved management of nest sites. The Center will expand its Loon-Friendly Lake Certification Program in collaboration with Adirondack lake associations to increase community-based environmental stewardship to better protect Adirondack loons and enhance their reproductive success.
2. Reduce the morbidity and mortality of Adirondack loons through a combination of community outreach programs, loon rescues. and rehabilitation including:
a. A Lead Tackle Buy-Back Program in collaboration with Adirondack fishing tackle outfitters;
b. Fishing line recycling containers provided to organizations throughout the Park;
c. Establishment of three loon rescue teams at key locations in the Park, increasing the efficiency of loon rescues; and d. Establishment of a loon rehabilitation facility in collaboration with the Adirondack Ecological Center in Newcomb, NY, to provide veterinary diagnostics, treatment, and rehabilitation for distressed loons.
The B-120 Trustee Council includes representatives from the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection, representing the Massachusetts Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs; Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management; National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration representing the Department of Commerce; and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service representing the U.S Department of the Interior.
The Adirondack Center for Loon Conservation is a 501(c)3 non-profit that conducts scientific research and engaging
educational programming to promote and inspire passion for the conservation of Common Loons (Gavia immer) in and beyond New York’s Adirondack Park.
To learn more about the Adirondack Center for Loon Conservation visit their website, email info@adkloon.org or call (518) 354-8636.
Read more stories about Loons in New York State and beyond here.
Photo of Common Loons courtesy Adirondack Center for Loon Conservation.
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