Great Lakes Article:

Conservationists Warn of Mercury Impact on Loons
Environmental News Service
12/12/03

NEW YORK - Mercury pollution is already having negative impacts on loons in the Adirondack Mountains and other areas, conservationists say, and the Bush administration's new plan for reducing mercury emissions could further adversely affect these birds.

The finding comes from researchers from the Bronx Zoo based Wildlife
Conservation Society (WCS) and other organizations who are conducting an ongoing study of common loons in the Adirondacks.

Scientists representing the Adirondack Cooperative Loon Program (ACLP) - a partnership of WCS, the Natural History Museum of the Adirondacks (NHMA), New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, BioDiversity Research Institute (BRI), and the Audubon Society of New York, are concerned.

The researchers say that data already shows that mercury pollution impacts loons in the Adirondacks and other areas, causing lower reproductive rates.

One recent sample of 100 Adirondack loons by BioDiversity Research Institute (BRI) and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service revealed that 17 percent of the birds had mercury levels high enough to potentially affect their reproductive success and behavior.

"Models indicate that, partly due to mercury contamination, reproductive rates of loons may already be too low to maintain their populations in portions of Maine and eastern Canada," said Dr. David Evers, BRI's executive director and collaborator with the Adirondack Cooperative Loon Program.

Mercury toxicity causes behavioral changes in loons, making them more
lethargic, due to its neurotoxic effects. Adult birds incubate and feed
their young less, while chicks feed less and ride on their parents' backs
less, making them more susceptible to predation and chilling. Mercury levels in loons elevates as you go farther east in North America, due to prevailing winds from power plants in the Midwest, scientists believe.

Coal fired power plants currently emit some 48 tons of mercury each year and are the nation's largest source of new mercury emissions, contributing some 40 percent of the U.S. total.

There are currently no regulations to limit mercury emissions from coal
fired power plants and the Bush administration has proposed a plan to reduce emission that is less aggressive than one proposed by the Clinton administration.

"We are very concerned that any increase in mercury emissions could spell further trouble for loons in the Adirondack Park and elsewhere in the Northeast," said Dr. Nina Schoch, coordinator for the Adirondack Cooperative Loon Program. "Loons are already suffering from mercury pollution here and in other locations. More mercury will mean greater impacts on northeastern loon populations and their habitats."