At the 2018 NSOLA AGM it was agreed to support the building of a loon nesting raft for North Otter Lake.

We all enjoy seeing several common loons resident on our lakes every summer, but it seems they are rarely able to successfully nest and hatch young on North Otter. There are limited areas around the lake which are suitable for nesting, and often the extreme rise and fall of the lake level around nesting time results in flooding of any nest they do build. A loon raft is a floating structure, filled with shoreline vegetation to mimic the loon’s nesting environment, which is securely moored to the shoreline in a suitable and safe location.

Judy, Dale and Sally built a raft on behalf of all the NSOLA members during the fall of 2018, and in the spring of 2019 it was towed to a suitable nesting location. We look forward to seeing some loon chicks – but it can take several years before the loons choose to nest on a raft.