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Summertime in the BelgradesContentsfor Printing Article Summaries |
Lost Loons
By Molly An Killingbeck Belgrade Central School's Green Fusion Ecology Club members ask fishers to make a difference just by being more careful with tangled fishing line. What we mean by being more careful is to properly dispose of the fishing line. Because if you don't the effect on the lake will not be good. Do you know where that fishing line could go if it did end up in the lake? It can go anywhere! It can go to the bottom of the lake, it can be washed up on shore, or unfortunately it can be caught in an animal's throat or tied up around its neck. The following story illustrates the effects of human carelessness to water animals. Years ago, there were three loons on Beaver Cove (Long Pond). Two of them were a pair and the other a rogue female wanted dominance. For years, the initial pair lived in peace and had many chicks while the extra female circled around jealously waiting. In the summer of 2004, the first pair came to Long Pond's Beaver Cove and successfully had two baby chicks. After weeks of happiness with the chicks, the female loon went for a swim and somehow got entangled in carelessly discarded fishing line. The extra female saw her chance to take over the territory when the other female was unable to free herself. Now that the female was almost driven up out of the lake, a research biologist who just happened to be on the lake at the time came to the rescue. 
The biologist stated that if he didn't get there when he did, the loon would have been dead by now from all the stress she was under. The biologist also knew that the injured loon would be banished out of the cove by the extra female. Now that this new female was in charge, she killed both of the chicks to establish her dominance. Remember, this all happened as a result of tangled fishing line that was cut and tossed onto the lake. From then on we have not had a successful mating year with the new couple because of that day when one loon got caught in some fishing line. Just think back on that day when your fishing line gets tangled. Please, when you cut your tangled line, do not use nature as your dumpster or you could let another disaster happen! Molly An Killingbeck is in the fifth grade at Belgrade Central School. She is a member of Green Fusion, a group of 25 active environmentalists at the school. | ||