Annual Loon Census and Loon Festival to be held on July 16

MOULTONBOROUGH — The Loon Preservation Committee will conduct its annual Loon Census on Saturday, July 16 from 8–9 a.m. During that hour, LPC staff and volunteers throughout the state will take to the lakes to count loons. Following the Loon Census, the Loon Preservation Committee will be hosting its annual Loon Festival from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at The Loon Center in Moultonborough. In honor of these events, the NH senate has declared July 16 Loon Appreciation Day.

The Loon Festival is a family friendly event that will feature loon presentations given by LPC biologists, face painting, balloon animals, loon themed crafts and games for kids, a discovery table and live animals from the Squam Lakes Natural Science Center, a fun and educational display about lake ecosystems from the NH Lakes Association, and a dunk tank where a correctly-answered loon trivia question will earn participants a chance to dunk a biologist.

The Loon Census also helps LPC to monitor the progress of known loon nests, discover previously unknown nests, check on the survival of chicks that have hatched in the previous weeks, and detect new loon chicks that may have hatched since biologists last surveyed a given water body. Census results are incorporated into LPC’s summer-long monitoring, the results of which will be given in an end-of-season presentation livestreamed on the organization’s YouTube channel on Aug. 26.

To reach the Loon Center from Route 25 in Moultonborough turn onto Blake Road at the Moultonborough Central School. Follow Blake Road one mile to the end at Lee’s Mills Road. Turn right and the Loon Center is the first building on the left, #183. For further information call 603-476-5666 or email info@loon.org.