After more than a year of planning, the North American Loon Symposium is almostupon us!  Maine Audubon is a sponsor of the symposium. I will be going out to northern Wisconsin next week to help support the conference, present on our Fish Lead-Free initiative and co-chair a working group on Research Directions and Conservation Strategies.  With over 100 people registered for the conference from across the country and more than 40 presenters, it will be a great opportunity to learn about what is new in the world of loon conservation.

I am especially excited about the working groups and the opportunity to broaden our thinking about the big issues for loon conservation and how we might work across states and regions to address them. I also have a goal of reaching out to colleagues in other states about our successful Fish Lead Free initiative, and to work toward a more uniform approach to our outreach efforts.  We can be more effective with our outreach if we are consistent in our messaging and our lead-free “brand”.  If we can develop some logos and outreach pieces that multiple states can use, we will send a more consistent message to anglers.  We’ve already talked to folks in the northeast, and next week we will be able to expand that conversation.  Check back again!  I’ll post the highlights of the conference after I return.