Old Forge, NY, Dec 17, 2012 — The Adirondacks' beloved icon, the Common Loon, has left for its winter home on the Atlantic coast.

Loons have enjoyed unprecedented population growth over the last 30 years. They outlived DDT and a time when people used to shoot loons for sport. But a recent study says things could have been even better. This time the culprit is mercury pollution.  Go to full article

Sep 05, 2007 — A plan to reduce pollution from products containing mercury has been drafted for states surrounding the Great Lakes. Once in the environment, mercury can pose a number of health risks. Chuck Quirmbach reports.  Go to full article

Jun 22, 2006 — New York and 15 other states have filed suit against the Environmental Protection Agency. They say the agency's mercury reduction plan doesn't go far enough. Mercury is a neurotoxin that can cause brain damage in children, even in small doses. gregory Warner reports.  Go to full article

May 16, 2006 — A new documentary about Adirondack loons will premier this month on Mountain Lake PBS. The program profiles a loon program that is studying the affects of mercury contamination on wildlife. Call of the Loon is hosted by PBS contributor and former CNN anchor Judy Woodruff. Executive producer Carol Blakeslee-Collin told Brian Mann that the loons offered a way to talk about a complicated environmental issue. We also hear the voices of Dr. Nina Schoch, head of the Adirondack Cooperative Loon Program and Governor George Pataki.

A private media premier of a new film will take place tonight at the Lake Placid Center for the Arts. The documentary will air on Mountain Lake PBS on Sunday, May 21 at 8 pm. There will also be public screenings in Keene Valley July 10 and in Tupper Lake on August 1.  Go to full article

Dec 05, 2005 — We're continuing our series, Ten Threats to the Great Lakes. One of the ongoing pollution problems facing the Great Lakes is air pollution that settles out into the lakes. Smokestack emissions and volatile chemicals don't all just float away. They enter the lakes' ecosystem. The Great Lakes Radio Consortium's Lester Graham reports on efforts to deal with one of the major pollutants that makes that transition from air pollution to water pollution.  Go to full article

Jul 14, 2005 — This year's census of loons on lakes in and around the Adirondacks is Saturday. Volunteer observers are needed to record the number of loons and chicks observed in a one-hour period, from 8 to 9 in the morning. Nina Schoch, Program Coordinator of the Adirondack Cooperative Loon Program, says data from Saturday's Loon Count provides a quick glimpse of the status of the loon population in the Adirondacks and the summering loon population in New York State. She told Todd Moe the data will be used by the state DEC to better monitor the loon population and to implement management efforts if needed. For more information, call 518-891-8836, or email: aclp2-prgm-mgr@juno.com  Go to full article

Jun 09, 2005 — Yesterday, we profiled Nina Schoch, head of the Adirondack Cooperative Loon Program. Schoch has been studying loons for six years, measuring their exposure to acid rain and mercury and trying to get an accurate measure of the birds' population. This morning, Brian Mann talks with Schoch about a program developed two years ago that tracks loons using satellites and radio transmitters. The goal was to discover exactly where Adirondack loons spend their winters.  Go to full article

Apr 29, 2005 — Environmentalists and advocates for children with learning disabilities want Governor Pataki to crack down on mercury emissions from in-state power. Karen DeWitt reports.  Go to full article

Mar 23, 2005 — A report published this week in the Washington Post suggests that the Environmental Protection Agency may have excluded internal research when developing a controversial new mercury rule. According to the newspaper, a Harvard study suggested that tougher mercury control standards might have been cost-effective.  Go to full article

Mar 21, 2005 — The U-S Environmental Protection Agency has a new rule to reduce mercury emissions from coal-burning power plants. But it might mean higher concentrations of mercury in fish in some inland lakes. The Great Lakes Radio Consortium's Lester Graham reports.  Go to full article