Outdoor Recreation: Parks

Loon Preservation Committee/Markus Sanctuary

URL: http://www.loon.org
Address: Lees Mills Road, Moultonborough, NH 03254
Phone: (603) 476-5666

This labor of love has seen success in the return of the loons to Lake Winnipesaukee. In 1976, there were no nesting pairs on the big lake and only 271 pairs in the state. Over the last 20 years, the population has more than doubled. Loons nest at the very edge of the lake, with their nests floating among the grasses. Increasing use of the lakes, especially by motorized boats and Jet Skis, has caused escalating mortality rates among these treasured birds. The 200 acres of the Markus Sanctuary includes 5,000 feet of undeveloped shoreline, prime nesting sites for loons. The Loon Preservation Committee has constructed a cedar raft complete with dirt and vegetation and shielded with snowfence to further protect the birds. This imitation shore is less vulnerable to the impacts of wakes and drought than the real thing. Trails through the site include a view of the floating “Loon Hotel.”