Look Out For Loons (LOFL) is a program of the Maine Loon Restoration Project. This program provides volunteers statewide with the tools, training, and support to reach out to community members about ways we can all help reduce disturbance to nesting loons and increase the survival of loon chicks and adults. Come join this growing and vibrant team of volunteers who engage with lake communities through presentations and workshops, information tables at events, lakeside conversations, and educational materials about the actions we can all take to increase loon nesting success and survival. A trained LOFL volunteer may also be able to help at your next event if you’re looking for help raising local loon awareness. Interested in learning more about the LOFL program and steps you can take to reduce disturbance and increase nesting success on your lake or pond?
To learn more about the LOFL program and what resources are available to help you engage your community:
1. Review the Introduction to the Look Out for Loons Program Webinar. Click here to view this recording which gives a broad overview of the LOFL outreach and education program.
2. Explore LOFL Tools & Resources. Scroll down to review the LOFL tools you might include in an education initiative for your pond or lake.
3. Email loonrestoration@maineaudubon.org or lakes.me/loons with your name, contact information and location to notify LOFL staff of your interest. Include any details about your interests or ideas for your community.
These are some of the common activities conducted by LOFL volunteers and we encourage creativity in reaching out to your community:
Community Outreach: We provide training on how to speak effectively with lake residents and visitors at local events, gathering spots, and boat launches to let them know what they can do to help protect loons.
Presentations: The program offers training and resources in the form of slides and scripts for use in formal presentations at meetings and events. New volunteers may be able to connect with or even shadow another volunteer.
Brochure Distribution: Distribute printed and digital versions of our brochures at community events or lake association meetings; through email, social media, or newsletters; or place them at boat ramps, kiosks, town halls, or other local venues with permission to raise awareness about actions that cause disturbance to nesting loons and families.
Posting Educational Signs: Place yellow ‘Look Out for Loons’ signs at approved locations and lake access points to remind people to look out for loons while out on the water. With landowner permission, LOFL signs can be placed at town boat launches, campgrounds, public beaches, or other waterfront areas. Note: Signs cannot be posted at boat launches managed by the Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife (DIFW) and you must seek a permit from the Maine Department of Conservation, Agriculture, and Forestry (DACF) to post signs at their boat launches. Consult this list to learn who manages boat launches on your lake.
Nest Protection: ‘Stay Away: Loons Nesting’ signs are expressly designed to warn people away from active nests that are at risk of being abandoned due to human disturbance or flooded by boat wakes. They are placed on floating platforms, posts, or onshore at least 50-100 feet from a nest site so people see the message while still far away from the nest. Download and read this flyer to be sure your situation meets the state’s criteria for a loon nesting sign before seeking to place one. (Supplies are limited).
Promoting lead-free fishing: Organize and host a tackle exchange. Or mount lakeside fishing line and lead tackle collection bins with permission.
Supporting Loon Mortality Studies: Spread the word about how important it is to report dead loons that are found. As morbid as it seems, one of the best ways we can identify and track threats to loons is by autopsying dead loons that are collected by state wardens or wildlife rescue facilities to determine cause of death. This information allows us to target conservation actions where they matter most. Click here for more information about what to do if you find a dead, injured, or distressed loon.
If you have completed the steps and training to become a Look Out for Loons volunteer, here are some tools and resources to help you with your loon outreach and education efforts. Email LOFL staff at loonrestoration@maineaudubon.org with questions or for additional support.
Below are a number of tutorials designed to help volunteers have effective interactions with individuals or small groups of friends, neighbors, and lake users about Maine’s Common Loons. Review the following as you build your talking points:
Look Out for Loons Training Tutorials
Common Loon Basics. This tutorial provides key facts about Common Loon natural history, as well as a review of the human-driven risks loons face during nesting season.
Teaching Lake Goers “How Close is Too Close? This tutorial provides tips for observing loon behavior from a safe distance.
3 Simple Actions that Decrease Disturbance. This tutorial outlines simple actions which, if done consistently, will decrease disturbance to nesting loons and their chicks.
Sample Script: Review this sample script for speaking with individuals about Maine’s Common Loon. It is designed to be used in conjunction with the brochure titled ‘How Close is Too Close?’
Lake associations, libraries, and community organizations are excellent places to share information about protecting loons. The resources below can be downloaded and customized for use with your group.
Digital and print copies of brochures are available for your use. They include the following:
NOTE: Print copies are subject to availability. To request print copies, fill out the Materials Request Form
Click links below to view digital versions of each brochure.
How Close is Too Close brochure
This brochure provides a simple way to understand loon behavior and avoid getting too close.
Living in Loon Territory
This brochure provides an overview for boaters, anglers, and others about how to enjoy Maine’s lakes and ponds while not disturbing loons.
Fish Lead Free
This fact sheet promotes Maine’s Fish Lead Free Program. Digital versions are available at Fish Lead Free Maine (fishleadfree.org/me).
Lead Law Card
This resource promoting lead-free fishing and detailing Maine’s lead tackle laws is the perfect size for a wallet or fishing vest pocket.
Yellow ‘Look Out for Loons’ Signs are available to give notice to lake users about loons and their nests. This link provides guidelines developed between Maine Audubon and Maine Department of Inland Fisheries & Wildlife for use when determining the use and placement of signs. Please review carefully and contact the LOFL Program Manager if signs seem appropriate for your lake or pond.
This resource is helpful if you encounter a problem with a loon, their nest or if you encounter loon harassment situations which need to be reported.
Please complete the LOFL Volunteer Tracking Form in order to keep track of your time, the number of contacts you have made or the number of brochures you have distributed.
As LOFL volunteers conduct their outreach activities it may be helpful to know a bit more about loons and their activity on Maine’s lakes and ponds. Use the following links to learn more:
• Lakes of Maine provides an interactive map for exploring Maine’s loon lakes and annual loon count data. Use this site to learn more about the loons on lakes you visit.
• Maine’s Common Loon is a publication by Maine Audubon which provides more detail about the natural history of the common loon.
• More on Loon Behavior. The Loon Preservation Committee website provides more reading and videos on loon behavior.
• Watch a webinar from March 26, 2024 led by Tracy Hart and other members of the Maine Loon Restoration Team. Updates on the status of Maine’s loons and progress achieved through the Maine Restoration Project is provided.
• Read the lead article about the project in the Maine Lakes fall issue of For the Sake of Our Lakes
Since 2021, project partners from Maine Audubon, Maine Lakes, Lakes Environmental Association and the Penobscot Nation have worked with volunteers from every county in Maine to distribute information about how we can better co-exist with loons. In 2023, Maine Lakes took the lead in coordinating the LOFL program, training 86 volunteers between 2023 and 2025 who are now busy at venues like farmers markets, festivals, fishing derbies, camps, boat ramps, libraries, lake association meetings, spreading the word about ways to Look Out for Loons. Going forward in 2026, the Look Out for Loons Program will be coordinated by Maine Audubon. We will host training and refresher webinars for LOFL volunteers, distribute brochures and educational materials, and provide support to a growing network of volunteers interested in doing more within their communities to protect loon productivity and survival.
THANK YOU FOR YOUR INTEREST IN THIS PROJECT!
With the help of trained Look Out for Loon volunteers like you, we hope to engage with a wide audience across the state in order to increase public awareness of threats loons face and what lake users can do to help loon populations survive and thrive.
