Keeping Lakes Clean

Listen to the Loons!

If you were standing in your swimsuit on the edge of a dock, looking down into a dirty, cloudy lake, would you jump in? Neither would a loon! But unlike us, loons don’t just swim in the water; they live in it. When loons are looking for a lake to call home, one of their top priorities is clean water. Loons are visual predators that need clear water to catch fish, and healthy lakes have lots of fish to offer. But how can we tell if a lake is healthy? Well, loons are an indicator species, which means we can learn about the health of the environment by watching them. Loons will tell us if our lakes are losing quality. Learn how to keep lakes clean to answer loons before they call!

What’s in the Water?

Lakes are full of natural nutrients that are needed by loons, fish, and other wildlife. But some nutrients, in excessive amounts, can cause problems for the ecosystem. Phosphorous and nitrogen are found in yard fertilizer to help lawns grow dense and green. Excessive amounts of these nutrients can accelerate algae growth, creating a murky freshwater environment that is unsuitable for people and fish. Chloride from road salts and water softener residue, entering lakes in runoff from roads, sidewalks, and driveways, can create a toxic environment for aquatic life.

Aquatic Invasive Species

Aquatic Invasive Species (AIS) are non-native plants and animals that have been introduced to native waters. Their ability to outcompete native species threatens the ecological stability, recreational usability, and health of the lakes and rivers they inhabit. Once AIS have been introduced to a waterbody, their presence and impact becomes virtually irreversible. Hitching a ride on your boat or trailer, it only takes one invasive animal or plant to start a new invasion in a clean lake.

Why are AIS Harmful?

The presence of AIS in our lakes can have devastating effects on native wildlife and habitat. Native counterparts of AIS suffer and starve in infested waters due to lack of primary food sources or sunlight. Fish, birds, and other animals can contract diseases and struggle to digest AIS when consumed. Furthermore, general lake appeal and usability declines due to thick weeds, foul smells, sharp shells, and poor fishing.

How Do AIS Spread?

  1. Aquatic Invasive Species are picked up by boats, bait buckets, or other gear from infested lakes.
  2. Boats that haven’t been cleaned are launched into lakes where AIS have not yet been introduced.
  3. Invasive animals or plant fragments reproduce rapidly to outcompete native species in the water.

How Can We Keep Lakes Clean?

  • Clean, drain, and dry your boat to prevent the spread of AIS by rinsing your watercraft after each use, draining water from your boat and gear upon exiting the water, and ensuring your watercraft is dry before its next launch.
  • Reduce fertilizer use to protect your lake from harmful chemicals. Switch to organic fertilizer, and avoid fertilizing frozen ground.
  • Landscape for loons on your property by planting native shrubs and plants and maintaining a natural shoreline.
  • Use lead-free tackle to protect loons and other wildlife from lead poisoning.
  • Keep It Clean when you’re ice fishing

Landscaping for Loons

Nesting Loons

Have you ever seen a loon on a natural nest? If you have, you have a great eye! If not, don’t feel bad. Loons like to be hidden! Loons nest on grassy shores of secluded bays or small islands, but it’s becoming harder for them to find these kinds of places. As natural shorelines are being replaced by tidy lawns and sandy beaches, loons are losing their homes to our home improvements. But everybody knows that no lake home feels complete without a family of loons to share it with!

How Plants Protect Lakes

In addition to offering loon habitat, shorelines with long grasses and native plants keep lakes clean by preventing erosion and filtering runoff from yards and roads. Lawn grasses have shallow roots that can’t protect the lakes from sediment that belongs on shore. Plants that grow naturally along the water’s edge are equipped with deep roots to filter nutrients and maintain shoreline structure. If you own property on a lakeshore, you can landscape for loons by planting these native species and preserving the natural qualities of your shoreline that keep lakes loon-friendly.

Tips for Your Shoreline

  • Leave a “no mow zone” at least 10 feet wide along the shoreline to serve as a pollinator garden and filter runoff
  • Keep grass clippings and leaves from entering the water to prevent excess nutrients from getting into the lake
  • Plant native vegetation along the shore to create habitat and prevent erosion
  • Leave naturally fallen timber in the water for structure-seeking fish
  • Use willow-wattle to recapture lost shoreline and prevent further erosion
  • Reach out to your local Soil and Water Conservation District (SWCD) for more info on creating natural landscapes

Watching Your Wake

Ripple Effect

It’s important to look out for loons on the water while we’re boating, especially at higher speeds. But did you know that boating can impact loons in less obvious ways? Built along the water’s edge, loon nests are exposed and vulnerable to the waves we leave behind. When we’re not mindful of our wakes, loon eggs can be drowned or displaced in the minutes after we’ve passed by. In addition to causing nesting failures for loons, poor wake management erodes the shoreline and clouds the water with sediment that belongs on shore. Loons need clean water to survive, but if they can’t find it in our lakes, they’ll look for it somewhere else. Learn how to leave a positive future for loons and lakes in your wake!

Keep Your Distance!

Memorize these numbers and apply them to your boating habits to protect and respect loons and lakeshore!

100 feet from loons and other water birds while boating
200 feet away from shorelines and nesting loons while creating a wake
500 feet from shorelines for wake surfing activities

Look Out for Loons!

Throughout the summer, loons and their chicks will move around the lake as they nest, grow, and prepare for migration. By understanding these behaviors and patterns, we can be mindful of loons in every stage of their lives and protect them from boating or wake-related incidents on our lakes. Check out the timeline below to learn when and where to look out for loons on the water!

May – June

This time of year, nesting loons are tending to their eggs along the water’s edge. This is when wakes can be most harmful! Be extra careful with your wake around shallow bays and channels. The loon in this photo is in a “hangover” position, indicating it’s threatened by something getting too close.

July – August

Most chicks have hatched by this time and ventured into deeper water. They can be hard to spot at this age, and they haven’t learned how to escape danger. Keep a sharp eye out for chicks in open water.

September – November

After the summer is over, loons are preparing for migration and are often spotted gathering in deep water on bigger lakes. Juveniles will often wait until ice is on the lake before they leave! Use caution when boating directly across the middle of the lake.

Sharing the Shoreline

You don’t have to own any shoreline to share it! It’s equally important to do our part from the water to protect the shore from erosion. Observe directional buoys, follow no-wake zones, and avoid making repetitive passes along shorelines. These are simple ways to minimize the impact of our wakes. We can’t control the way people choose to maintain their lake properties, but we can help them out by watching our wakes so that all shoreline, no matter who it belongs to, is well taken care of.

Educator Resources


Educator resources