Volunteer Work Day: Loon Raft Building

NEW DATE: This event has been moved to Monday, April 1, 1-5 pm at Gilsland Farm due to weather. 

The Maine Loon Restoration Project wants you! Monday, April 1 from 1-5 pm Maine Audubon is hosting a volunteer work day at Gilsland Farm to help our loon team get ready for the busy season ahead! The goal of the loon rafts is to increase the number of loon chicks hatched. The rafts are installed and monitored in territories with low nesting success.

We’ll need approximately 30 volunteers to help with a variety of tasks:
♦ Building loon nesting rafts,
♦ Building and vegetating planting boxes,
♦ Heavy lifting (unloading kayaks, washing floats, moving equipment, applying UV protectant to boats, anchor line construction, etc.), potentially lifting up to 50 lbs.
♦ Doing other odd jobs (prepping field materials and literature assembly).

Training will be provided and no special skills are required, although skills using hand tools are useful for those working on nesting rafts. Please bring any tools like drills, drill bits, and work gloves and make sure to wear appropriate clothing for the weather and the task. You’ll be getting dirty!
This is a great project for adults, corporate groups, and families with middle school age or older children!

Check out these links to learn more about Maine Audubon’s Loon Restoration Project. Also check out our Raft Video and Common Loon Nesting Rafts guide for more details about loon nesting platforms and when they are appropriate as a conservation tool to help increase loon reproductive success.

*Children under 18 will need to be accompanied by a guardian”
Rain date Monday, April 1, 2024.*