Jayden Jech is a Loon Specialist with the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources Nongame Wildlife Program and works to promote the conservation and restoration of loons in Minnesota by conducting surveys, developing management plans, supporting stewardship through public outreach as part of the Minnesota Loon Restoration Project.
Jech will be this month's featured speaker at Itasca Waters' Practical Water Wisdom webinar at 12 p.m.on Thursday, April 4.
Loon Restoration
The webinar will dive into learning more about the restoration and conservation of Minnesota’s state bird, the common loon. You can find out about loon biology, threats they face and ways you can support their conservation.
Jech will share information about the Minnesota Loon Restoration Project and opportunities to participate in ongoing community science efforts with the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, Nongame Wildlife Program.
Jech was a guest on the KAXE Morning Show and explained funding sources. "Minnesota Loon Restoration Project was actually funded from a settlement from the BP oil spill from 2010 that happened in the Gulf of Mexico."
The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources partnered with the Department of Interior and US Fish and Wildlife Service and the US Geological Survey to restore loons impacted by the oil spill. The goal is to help reduce mortality and increase reproductive success across the state.
Jech's passion for loons was evident in the conversation as he described the charismatic call, how loons cannot walk on land and documentation of a typical lifespan of a loon. "They are a very long-lived species, but we typically say loons live to be around 20 years."
This series is presented by Itasca Waters with the support from Minnesota Sea Grant, Itasca Soil and Water Conservation District, Itasca Coalition of Lake Associations, KAXE/KBXE, Rapids Radio and Grand Rapids Herald Review.
Listen to the full conversation from the KAXE Morning Show above.