Much like the acute wail of the common loon that resonates deeply with many Minnesotans and signals another summer, state wildlife managers have made the annual call out for conservation-minded volunteers to help watch for them.
The effort is one of the ongoing projects focused on loons and their well-being within the Nongame Wildlife Program of the Department of Natural Resources. And it's a sizable job: Specialists who coordinate the Minnesota Loon Monitoring Program need volunteers to focus on six regions, each with 100 lakes, in central and northern Minnesota.
The regions are targets because it's common ground for returning loons, a landscape full of large, clear lakes with room for flight and habitat to breed and support young.
