National Loon Center

Throughout the Land of 12,000 Loons, Minnesotans give a hoot about our iconic state bird. The loon's summer home on the northern lakes is facing new threats in a changing landscape. By closely studying our loon population, we can equip people far and wide with the knowledge they need to become stewards of our loons and lakes. 

Become an ambassador for nationally significant research on common loons.

The National Loon Center's research and education programs connect people to science. In 2024, this connection will take place among the immersive exhibits of the proposed, state-of-the-art facility for the National Loon Center in Crosslake. 

The National Loon Center is already taking flight through active research on a study population of loons and through engaging on-the-water stewardship. 

Give a hoot about loons and help advance research that will aid loon protection efforts locally and across the country. Your support will also help provide more people, especially youth, with hands-on learning opportunities based in science on loons and freshwater ecosystems. 

Our research involves monitoring a study population of banded loons throughout the breeding season to determine what affects their survival. We are also facilitating necropsy studies on dead loons to investigate the reasons why loons die and prevent them in the future. This research is shared aboard our educational boat, the StewardShip, where visitors can observe banded loons on Cross Lake. 

Your charitable gift will support the following activities:

Banding common loons to study their survival. 

Staffing research assistants to survey 140+ loon territories. 

Monitoring nesting loons on 60+ lakes in Crow Wing County. 

Funding necropsies of dead loons. 

Providing rescue equipment to respond to injured loon calls. 

Leading Stewardship excursions for classrooms and summer camps. 

Distributing educational materials on progress in loon research. 

Testing water quality on lakes where loons nest. 

Give a gift today and receive a special edition Loon Research Ambassador certificate and sticker as a thank you!

Give a hoot about loons today. 

www.nationallooncenter.org