Mission of the Month: Looking for Loons In All the Frozen Places

Aerial view of an industrial potash mine evaporation site near Moab, Utah, situated along the Colorado River. Photo by Cody Perry

The Issue

Life as a loon is filled with challenges. One of the most deadly? Mistaking a small piece of lead fishing tackle for food. For loons, ingesting lead is almost always a death sentence, with most dying within just 2 to 4 weeks.

Or you might have to deal with shoreline development, which takes away valuable habitat and forces you to find a new place to live. Loons build their nests on the shorelines or islands of lakes and ponds; the same areas people often develop for homes or recreation.

And if lead or development doesn't get you, there's still climate change. High temperatures can stress loons while they're nesting, and heavy rains can flood their nests entirely.

50 In 50 Challenge Returns Memorial Day Weekend

LightHawk is taking to the skies beginning Memorial Day Weekend for a second year of our most ambitious conservation mission of the year – 50 flights in 50 days.

The 50 in 50 Challenge isn’t just about flying — it’s about the collective impact of conservation from the air and on the ground. Your support ensures that these critical flights continue, helping to protect wildlife, waterways, and ecosystems we all need and share.

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May 26 – July 14

LightHawk In The News

Photo of the Month

Snowmobile and snowbike tracks in protected high-altitude wildlife habitat in Idaho. Photo by J. Michael Short.

Inland Empire Task Force requested this flight to photograph snowmobile and snowbike trespass in the Selkirk and Cabinet Mountains of Idaho. The Inland Empire Task Force is a conservation group that focuses on protecting regional biodiversity, old growth forests, and cold streams in northern Idaho. One of the group's focus areas is how the use of snowmobiles and snowbikes impact forested grizzly bear dens, lynx, and wolverines. Their mission includes monitoring and documenting these impacts and aiding in the long-term protection of high-elevation habitats.