On August 19 beginning at 5am a team of five swimmers, known as The Squam Lake Swimming Sisters and Bro will swim the length of Squam Lake, from the Squam Channel outlet in Holderness to the Sandwich Town Beach. The 5th Annual Squam Swim is a fundraiser to benefit the Loon Preservation Committee’s work to reverse recent declines in the loon population on Squam Lake, immortalized in the movie On Golden Pond. In recent years the loon population and loon breeding success on Squam Lake have decreased dramatically. Research done by the Loon Preservation Committee has revealed several threats that could be contributing to these declines. These challenges include increasing temperature trends, increased recreational use of Squam, and high levels of contaminants like flame retardants and stain repellents found in unhatched eggs collected from failed nests on Squam Lake.
Since 2005, The Squam Swim has become a greatly anticipated yearly event in the lakes Region and has raised over $43,000 for Squam Lake loons. The 2010 Swim team includes Wendy & Rick Van de Poll, Rose de Mars, Nancy Hansen and Blair Newcomb. They will be accompanied by spotters Dale Lary and Nancy MacDonald.
With the funds raised through The Swim, LPC will continue and expand its Squam Lake Loon Initiative to investigate and attempt to reverse the decline of loons on Squam. The initiative will also help identify more systemic problems that could be affecting other wildlife on Squam Lake, and inform other LPC initiatives including its Loon Recovery Plan. Funds raised will allow for more testing of samples collected. The cost is over $2,000 to test a single loon egg. Funds also help LPC track changes in contaminant levels over time, educate lake users, and manage the loons to recover to a healthy population on the lake. For more information on the Squam Lake Loon Initiative or to make a donation please visit www.loon.org or call the Loon Preservation Committee.
The Loon Preservation Committee monitors loons throughout the state as part of its mission to restore and maintain a healthy population of loons in New Hampshire; to monitor the health and productivity of loon populations as sentinels of environmental quality; and to promote a greater understanding of loons and the natural world.
