Public Comments Sought on Minnesota Loon Restoration

After the BP oil drilling platform explosion in the Gulf of Mexico in 2010, BP agreed to provide funds to restore natural resources damaged by the oil spill. On Oct 9, trustees overseeing some of those funds published a draft proposal which included $7.52M to help Minnesota’s loon population.

The proposed project would include acquisition of loon nesting habitat, breeding habitat enhancements, and reduction in exposure to lead-based fishing tackle. Some of the money would be made available to lake associations for loon conservation projects.

The Vermilion Lake Association encourages its members and the public to submit comments supporting this project here on the National Park Service website. The 30-day public comment period ends November 9th.

Additional info on the proposed Restoration Plan may be downloaded here [2.5MB PDF].