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ADIRONDACK CENTER FOR LOON CONSERVATION
RAY BROOK, NY · EIN 814571117 · Form 990 · FY2024 · NTEE D32 · Animal-Related · Small ($100K-$1M) · adkloon.org
revenue
$668K
expenses
$592K
net assets
$119K
employees
20
volunteers
180
program ratio
53%
mission · from form 990

THE MISSION OF THE ADIRONDACK CENTER FOR LOON CONSERVATION IS TO INSPIRE PASSION FOR AND PROMOTE THE CONSERVATION OF ADIRONDACK LOONS AS AN ENVIRONMENTAL SENTINEL.

profile · synthesized from sources

The Adirondack Center for Loon Conservation is a nonprofit dedicated to the conservation of common loons in the Adirondack region, using the species as an environmental sentinel to monitor ecosystem health. The organization conducts long-term field research, monitors breeding populations, and studies threats such as lead poisoning, climate change, and human disturbance. It also promotes public awareness and advocates for protective policies to ensure the survival of loon populations.

irs program accomplishments · form 990 part iii · fy2024

What they reported doing

  1. #1 primary $90K
    FURTHER THE CONSERVATION AND PROTECTION OF WILDLIFE AND THEIR HABITATS, USING THE COMMON LOON (GAVIA IMMER)AS A SENTINEL SPECIES.
  2. #2 $71K
    PROVIDE PUBLIC AND SCIENTIFIC AWARENESS TO ENHANCE THE UNDERSTANDING OF WILDLIFE AND ENVIRONMENTAL CONSERVATION.
named programs · 4 · from sources

What they call their work

Fish Lead-Free Initiative
Educates anglers and promotes the use of non-lead fishing tackle to reduce lead poisoning in loons, a leading cause of mortality.
Fishing Line Recycling Program
Provides recycling containers at boat launches to prevent loon entanglement in discarded fishing line and promotes safe disposal practices.
Loon Monitoring and Banding Program
Field teams conduct weekly surveys of loon territories across the Adirondack Park, tracking nesting success, chick survival, and individual loon behavior using color banding to study long-term population trends.
Nest Camera Project
Deploys motion-activated cameras at loon nests to monitor nesting behavior, identify predators, and assess impacts of environmental disturbances such as storms and human activity.
activities · 7 groups

What they do

  • Wildlife Monitoring and Field Research 7 activities
    • Collecting and submitting deceased loon specimens for health analysis
      Coordinates the collection and transport of deceased loons to the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation and submits specimens for necropsy to study lead poisoning, disease, and wildlife health impacts.
    • Conducting annual loon banding and health sampling
      Conducts annual loon banding operations, capturing and banding loons across multiple lakes, and collecting blood and feather samples from adults and chicks to support health and contaminant studies.
    • Monitoring loon populations and nesting success
      Conducts annual field research to monitor breeding loons across Adirondack Park lakes, recording presence, nesting activity, and chick production. Uses nest cameras and motion-activated imaging to collect behavioral data and assess nesting success, disturbances, and predation, analyzing over 325,000 images since 2013.
    • Operating a public loon sighting and reporting system
      Operates an online observation map and a hotline/email service for the public to report sightings of live, sick, or dead loons, enabling rapid response and data collection.
    • Organizing the NY Annual Loon Census
      Coordinates the NY Annual Loon Census every July since 2001, engaging volunteers statewide to collect observational data on breeding loon populations and track population trends.
    • Studying boat impacts on loon habitats
      Launches the Boat Impacts Study in 2026 using community science volunteers to gather data on boat types and their effects on loon habitats in the Adirondack Park, supported by water clarity sampling and wave height surveys.
    • Tracking environmental pollutants in loons
      Studies mercury and PFAS levels in Adirondack loons by collecting blood and feather samples from adults and chicks, sharing specimens with SUNY ESF and Clarkson University. Has conducted long-term monitoring of mercury exposure since 1998, documenting its impact on loon reproductive success.
  • Onsite & Outreach Environmental Education Programs 2 activities
    • Conducting public and youth education on loon conservation
      Delivers science-based educational programs to K–12 students and youth groups, including interactive lessons on lead poisoning and distribution of lead-free tackle starter kits. Offers public presentations and guided paddles to raise awareness about loons and lake ecosystems.
    • Running the Kids’ Lead-Free Tackle Box Program
      Provides interactive educational sessions for children ages 5–12 on the dangers of lead fishing tackle, including a lesson and game, and distributes lead-free tackle box starter kits.
  • Artificial Nesting Habitat Management 1 activity
    • Deploying floating nest rafts for loon nesting success
      Deploys floating nest rafts equipped with artificial flotation, native plant cover, and avian guards to improve loon nesting success in vulnerable habitats.
  • Lake Stewardship Education & Outreach 1 activity
    • Providing community outreach and stewardship programs
      Monitors loons on lakes near Newcomb, supports local stewardship initiatives, and conducts outreach in communities to promote habitat conservation and responsible recreation.
  • Wildlife Rehabilitation and Release 1 activity
    • Responding to distressed or injured loons
      Operates a rescue response system for distressed, injured, or entangled loons, coordinating researcher and volunteer teams to conduct rescues upon public report and transporting rescued loons to partner veterinarians for care.
  • Conservation-Focused Outdoor Sports Education 1 activity
    • Running the Tackle Box Ambassador Program
      Operates the Tackle Box Ambassador Program, training volunteers to educate anglers about lead tackle dangers, conduct tackle box inventories, and distribute free lead-free tackle samples and $10 vouchers for lead-free purchases.
  • Uncategorized 2 activities
    • Developing citizen science tools for water quality monitoring
      Developed a do-it-yourself secchi disk with written instructions and a video tutorial to enable public participation in water clarity monitoring.
    • Operating a public visitor center for loon conservation
      Operates a public visitor center in Saranac Lake, NY, open daily during summer months with free admission, offering educational resources and outreach on loon conservation.
financials · form 990 · fy2024
revenue
Total revenue$668K
Contributions & grants$491K74%
Program service revenue$7K1%
Investment income$3570%
Other revenue$169K
expenses
Total expenses$592K
Program expenses53%
Admin / overhead26%
Fundraising21%
Salaries & benefits$398K
Grants paid out$0
Largest expense lineCompensation
balance sheet
Total assets$765K
Cash$632K
Investments$0
Liabilities$646K
Net assets$119K
Liquid reserves12.8 mo
5 years on record · 2020–2024 · YoY revenue +22.9%
leadership · form 990 part vii · fy2024

Who runs it

paid leadership · 1
NameTitleHours/wkCompensation
NINA SCHOCH Former Exec Dir 40 $86K
board members · 14
  • ALEX HOWARD — Director
  • ANNA MILLEA — Treasurer
  • BENITA LAW-DIAO — Director
  • BONNIE KEET-ADAMS — Director
  • BRIAN DEL TORO — Director
  • ERIC POTTER — Secretary
  • GAIL DOERING — Director
  • JAMES TOWNSEND — VICE CHAIR
  • JIM SONNEBORN — Director
  • JODI KEET — Director
  • KATHY HANLON — Director
  • SUSAN SEMEGRAM — Board Chair
  • TIMM OTTERSON — Director
  • VALERIE TRUDEAU — Director
relationships · 44

Who they work with

  • Biodiversity Research Institute Partner — Collaborated with founder Dr. Nina Schoch on long-term loon research since 1998; ongoing scientific partner.
  • Biodiversity Research Institute Partner — Collaborates on research related to mercury pollution and its effects on loons and ecosystems.
  • Birch’s Lakeside General Store Partner — Participating tackle shop where anglers can redeem $10 vouchers for lead-free tackle.
  • Calvin College Partner — Collaborates with ACLC during loon banding week; includes participation by biology professor Dr. Keith Grasman and students.
  • Calvin University Partner — Academic collaboration through board member Dr. Keith Grasman, Biology Professor.
  • Canada Lake Store and Marina Partner — Participating tackle shop where anglers can redeem $10 vouchers for lead-free tackle.
  • Clarkson University Partner — Receives biological samples to measure mercury and PFAS levels in Adirondack watersheds through its immunology department.
  • Cloudsplitter Outfitters Partner — Participating tackle shop where anglers can redeem $10 vouchers for lead-free tackle.
  • Dancing Turtle Rescue Partner — Co-presents a public educational event with ACLC on the ecological roles of turtles and loons.
  • East Shore Schroon Lake Association Partner — Co-sponsors a public educational event hosted by ACLC and Dancing Turtle Rescue.
  • East Shore Schroon Lake Association Partner — Partnered with ACLC interns to pilot the boat impacts study on Schroon Lake.
  • Fish307 Partner — Participating tackle shop where anglers can redeem $10 vouchers for lead-free tackle.
  • Hungry Trout Fly Shop Partner — Participating tackle shop where anglers can redeem $10 vouchers for lead-free tackle.
  • Maintain the Chain Funder — Generous supporter of the Kids’ Lead-Free Tackle Box Program.
  • NY State Department of Environmental Conservation Government — Collaborates with DEC on the recovery and examination of deceased loons through its Wildlife Health Unit.
  • NYS Department of Environmental Conservation Government — Collaborates on wildlife health through submission of deceased loons for necropsy and coordinates on loon rescue efforts.
  • NYSERDA Government — Partner organization with shared environmental focus; former Program Manager Mark Watson serves on ACLC board.
  • National Loon Center Network — Participates in national network for injured loon response and shares rescue coordination resources.
  • New York State Department of Environmental Conservation Government — Partner agency with shared focus on wildlife conservation; represented on board by Andy McDuff, Wildlife Manager, Region 6.
  • New York State Department of Environmental Conservation Partner — Collaborates with ACLC to receive and process reports of sick or dead birds and to collect specimens for avian influenza testing.
  • Noaa Government — Federal agency collaboration through board member Elizabeth McLanahan, Director and Senior Advisor to the NOAA Administrator.
  • North Country Wild Care Partner — Referral partner for loon rescue when ACLC is unable to assist directly.
  • Northern NY Audubon Partner — Co-sponsored a guided paddle event to kick off the Great Adirondack Birding Celebration.
  • Ohio Northern University Partner — Scientific collaboration through board member Dr. Jay Mager, Professor of Biological Sciences.
  • Old Forge Hardware Partner — Participating tackle shop where anglers can redeem $10 vouchers for lead-free tackle.
  • Paul Smith’s College’s Adirondack Watershed Institute Partner — Scientific collaboration through involvement of Dr. Michale Glennon, Science Director, on ACLC's board.
  • Red Top Inn Partner — Participating tackle shop where anglers can redeem $10 vouchers for lead-free tackle.
  • SUNY ESF Partner — Receives blood and feather samples from banded loons to analyze environmental pollutants such as mercury and PFAS.
  • SUNY ESF’s Adirondack Ecological Center Partner — Research partnership through board member Natasha Karniski-Keglovits, Research Analyst.
  • SUNY Potsdam Government — Consults with Dr. Glenn Johnson, a biology professor at SUNY Potsdam, for scientific expertise on reptile ecology and snapping turtle behavior.
+ 14 more
strategies · 4

How they approach the work

Named approaches extracted from this org’s sources. Where others share an approach, follow it to see the full set of orgs running it.

  • Community-Based Education and Stewardship
    methodology: community_education_and_conservation
    By combining public education with participatory conservation practices, we foster community stewardship of lake ecosystems, because local engagement increases protective behaviors, long-term habitat sustainability, and support for policy change.
  • Ecosystem-Based Conservation with Non-Interventionist Management
    methodology: ecosystem_based_conservation
    By preserving intact, balanced ecosystems and refraining from intervening in native predator-prey dynamics, we support long-term ecological integrity, because sustainable loon conservation depends on healthy, self-regulating habitats rather than targeted species protection.
  • Environmental Sentinel Monitoring
    methodology: environmental_sentinel_monitoring
    By using loons as indicator species, we detect and monitor ecological changes and pollutants in freshwater ecosystems, because their position atop the food chain and sensitivity to environmental disruption make them early warning signals for broader ecosystem health.
  • Longitudinal Individual Tracking for Research
    methodology: longitudinal_individual_tracking
    By individually identifying loons through leg banding, we enable long-term, non-invasive monitoring of survival, reproduction, and pollutant accumulation, because tracking individuals over time yields robust data on population health and environmental threats.