Greetings, Birders, I received this post from Steve Wilson, and got his permission to share it with you all.
Judy Chucker St. Louis Park Hennepin ----- Forwarded Message ----- The latest issue of Bird Studies Canada carried the following item: “ Mercury Threatens Canada’s Loons 12 December 2013 – Toxic mercury escapes to the atmosphere anytime fossil fuels are burned. Once in lakes, it travels up the food chain to fish and loons. Loons, which are high on the chain, produce fewer chicks when they become burdened with the toxin. Researchers at Queen’s University and Environment Canada recently determined the proportion of 1900 water bodies across Canada where mercury was high enough to cause problems for breeding loons. Their study was published in Environmental Science & Technology . Fish had enough mercury to lower loon productivity at an alarming 10-36% of lakes. The researchers found the risk to loons was highest in acidic lakes in eastern Canada, because acid enhances uptake of mercury into the food chain. Bird Studies Canada’s 32-year report from our Canadian Lakes Loon Survey – published earlier this year – also found that loon chick numbers were lowest in acidic lakes in eastern Canada. The results of the two studies clearly show that further reductions in mercury emissions will improve the health of Canada’s loons, and the lake ecosystems on which we all depend.” Given the number of acid-trending lakes in northern Minnesota, this news is relevant to water quality and loons in Minnesota, as well. Not new news, but worth keeping in mind. Steve Wilson ---- Join or Leave mou-net: http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=mou-net Archives: http://lists.umn.edu/archives/mou-net.html
