—By Anne Heissenbuttel, Maine Audubon Loon Restoration Project Intern
Kids making loon calls, shouting loon facts, playing loon trivia—that was all part of the scene on May 23, as 700 Maine fifth and sixth graders gathered in the University of Southern Maine’s recreation center in Portland to explore the Southern Maine Children’s Water Festival. Student groups rotated between classroom lectures and the exhibit hall, which held upwards of 17 tables staffed by members of various organizations all with a shared goal: Educating children on water health and wetland ecosystem management. The Children’s Water Festivals have been held in southern and northern Maine for more than 25 years and are organized by a planning committee that includes the Maine Department of Environmental Protection and many public and private organizations.
Four dedicated members of the Maine Loon Restoration Project and the Look Out for Loons program manned a multi-table exhibit aimed to educate children on loons, why we need to protect them, and what we can do to avoid disturbing them during their nesting season. James Reddoch and volunteer Joanne Sweezy, representing the Look Out for Loons program, brought colorful tri-fold posters, examples of lead fishing tackle, and a captivating “Loon Roulette” trivia game. Biologist Jaedyn Mowery and intern Anne Heissenbuttel of the Maine Audubon Loon Restoration Project trucked an adult loon mount and an unvegetated modular raft to the exhibit hall. Students had the opportunity to observe a taxidermied loon up close, assess the frameworks of a modular raft, read up on loon biology, and learn about the threats that Maine loons face.
As student groups rotated through the gym, excited eyes spotted the loon mount, heard the iconic calls through our little speaker, and darted across the gym. Kids in the crowd gathered around the mount shouted loon facts, stared with admiration, and questioned its size, eye color, and beak shape. Across age groups, students demonstrated extensive knowledge of loons, one even performing a near perfect call. Others flaunted their knowledge on the roulette wheel, correctly answering questions on loon biology, wildlife harassment laws, and the threats of lead fishing tackle. Many were eager to share their observations from personal loon encounters, reporting sightings of chicks and even a few spotting nests.
The success of the Maine Loon Restoration Project and the Look Out for Loons Program hinges on community support and participation. Student engagement with this program is vital to the future of loon conservation in Maine, engagement which the Southern Children’s Water Festival provided. The students’ extensive knowledge of loons and the numerous threats they face, as well as their eagerness to learn more, serves as a hopeful indication that loon conservation will be pursued with passion and care in the hands of the younger generation.
