Crosslake’s National Loon Center Hosting Research Tours on Whitefish Lake Chain

People in the Crosslake area have the chance to learn more about loons through research tours conducted by the National Loon Center.

Aboard the pontoon known as The StewardShip, tour guides can document loon territories, nesting success, chick hatchings, and more throughout the Upper and Lower Whitefish Lakes.

The research tour not only gives the public a better understanding on the general patterns exhibited by Minnesota’s state bird, but it also provides the National Loon Center with valuable information, as the organization aims to restore and protect loon breeding habitats, promote responsible recreation where loons thrive, and serve as a national leader in advancing loon and freshwater research and education.

“It’s getting people out to see loons in their habitat and these really critical freshwater habitats,” National Loon Center Science & Stewardship Manager Natasha Bartolotta told Lakeland News. “Especially for the fall migration, we’re seeing them group up on some of these cold-water lakes. [We’re] really just looking at the whole ecosystem as a whole. And that really is our mission, to protect loons and their freshwater habitats.”

The National Loon Center will continue running loon research tours through the end of September. More information on the tours can be found here.