The Challenges and Benefits of Aging Citizen Scientists: Looking Ahead to the Next Thirty Years of Loon Counting in Maine

The Common Loon is an iconic bird of Maine’s lakes and ponds. Its dramatic plumage, large size and haunting calls make it a bird that Mainers know and love. For the last three decades, The Maine Loon Project at Maine... [ view full abstract ]

The Common Loon is an iconic bird of Maine’s lakes and ponds. Its dramatic plumage, large size and haunting calls make it a bird that Mainers know and love. For the last three decades, The Maine Loon Project at Maine Audubon has organized a dedicated group of over 1,000 “loon counters” with the objective of improving loon habitat and enhancing loon conservation. These citizen scientists have literally watched out for Common Loons, monitoring habitat, measuring productivity, collecting carcasses, and participating in an annual loon count on the third Saturday in July. With the knowledge gained as a result of this group’s efforts, we’ve helped improve shoreland zoning rules, protect water quality, limit the use of lead tackle, and create a dedicated group of advocates speaking up on behalf of loons and lakes. We’ve also been able to monitor a population that is highly at risk from a changing climate. But past success is not necessarily indicative of future success. The Maine Loon Project faces many challenges in the coming decades, not the least of which is an aging but yet still dedicated group of citizen scientists. The primary challenge of working with this group is a lack of digital experience, which can make the streamlining of communication difficult and more time-consuming, especially as new counters come on-line expecting a digital interface. The benefits of nurturing and retaining this group however include a vast long-term knowledge of lake and loon history that is literally irreplaceable. Finding a way to attract and keep new citizen scientists in this digital age while maintaining aging counters for the next decade or more is a challenge. Strategies like finding digital “mentors”, recruiting younger family members with digital expertise, and offering digital outreach and education to older counters may help bridge the growing technological gap.