Saranac Lake, NY (July 10, 2014) - The Wildlife Conservation Society’s Adirondack Program today announced a call for volunteers to help census loons on Adirondack lakes as part of the fourteenth Annual Adirondack Loon Census taking place from 8:00–9:00 a.m. on Saturday, July 19.

With the help of local Adirondack residents and visitor volunteers, the census enables WCS to collect important data on the status of the breeding loon population in and around the Adirondack Park and across New York State. The results help guide management decisions and policies affecting loons.

Census volunteers report on the number of adult and immature loons and loon chicks that they observe during the hour-long census. Similar loon censuses will be conducted in other states throughout the Northeast simultaneously, and inform a regional overview of the population’s current status.

Anyone interested in volunteering can get more information about how to sign up by visiting www.wcsadirondacks.org , by calling 518-891-8872 , or by emailing adkloon@wcs.org .

“We gain an important regional picture of the loon population each year through the Annual Loon Census,” said Zoë Smith, Director of WCS’s Adirondack Program. “We are indebted to the hundreds of volunteers who participate as citizen scientists in this important research. Only through the participation of this dedicated group of volunteers, are we able to assemble so much valuable information to help guide future management decisions.”

This year, the Wildlife Conservation Society is including an additional set of questions to gather information on the types and amount of on-water recreation during the census period. This optional datasheet will be included as an extra page, and is available on the website. The Annual Loon Census is a project of the Wildlife Conservation Society Adirondack Program and is conducted in partnership with the Biodiversity Research Institute.

For press inquiries or to talk with the WCS scientists involved, please contact Scott Smith at 718-220-3698 or ssmith@wcs.org .

CONTACT:
Scott Smith – 718-220-3698 ; ssmith@wcs.org
Stephen Sautner – 718-220-3682 ; ssautner@wcs.org

The Wildlife Conservation Society's Adirondack Program promotes community prosperity and wildlife conservation in the Adirondacks through research, community involvement, and education.
Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS)
MISSION: WCS saves wildlife and wild places worldwide through science, conservation action, education, and inspiring people to value nature. VISION: WCS envisions a world where wildlife thrives in healthy lands and seas, valued by societies that embrace and benefit from the diversity and integrity of life on earth. To achieve our mission, WCS, based at the Bronx Zoo, harnesses the power of its Global Conservation Program in more than 60 nations and in all the world’s oceans and its five wildlife parks in New York City, visited by 4 million people annually. WCS combines its expertise in the field, zoos, and aquarium to achieve its conservation mission. Visit: www.wcs.organd www.wcs-heal.org; follow: @theWCS.