MAINE PUBLIC • November 18, 2020
Human activity decimated the loon population in the 18th century. Between hunting, pollution, shoreline development and habitat loss, loons in southern New England were wiped out by the late 19th century. Since then, they’ve been slow to come back. In 2003, an oil tanker ran aground in Massachusetts. In 2017, the owner of the barge agreed to pay $7.3 million for loon restoration efforts. “The chance to create entire populations of loons in Massachusetts is essentially unique. We have large areas that have suitable habitat and no nesting pairs. You’re not going to find that in Maine and New Hampshire, not even in Vermont,” says Massachusetts State Ornithologist Andrew Vitz. “They are also a native species, and because of that they’re worth protecting.”