SARANAC LAKE – Dr. Nina Schoch will present “Conservation Through the Lives of Adirondack Loons” at noon Thursday, Nov. 3 in the Cantwell Room of the Saranac Lake Free Library. Schoch is a wildlife veterinarian with the Biodiversity Research Institute of Portland, Maine, and coordinates BRI’s Adirondack Center for Loon Conservation in New York.

This engaging presentation will provide an overview of Common Loon natural history, behavior, and threats to loon populations. It will also give a summary of the research conducted by the Adirondack Center for Loon Conservation, including investigating loon nesting success in the Park, and the health, status, and migratory patterns of the Adirondack loon population. Dr. Schoch will also explore the impact of mercury pollution on aquatic ecosystems in the Park, using loons as an indicator species. This will be an opportunity to learn more about this fascinating emblem of the Adirondacks, as well as the outreach and conservation efforts of the Adirondack Loon Center.

Before her association with the Biodiversity Research Center, Dr. Schoch practiced small animal medicine in New York’s Adirondack Park from 1991-2002, and is a licensed wildlife rehabilitator. She is a member of numerous conservation and wildlife health related organizations, and has written many scientific and lay articles about the results of the Adirondack loon research. She was inducted into the NYS Outdoorsmen Hall of Fame in 2014 and received the NYS Outdoor Writers Association M. Paul Keesler New York Outdoor Citizen Award in 2011.

This will be the first presentation of the fall 2016 to spring 2017 session of the Library Luncheon Series.

All presentations are free and open to the public. Those attending are invited to bring soup or sandwich and enjoy a dessert and beverage provided by the Hospitality Committee.

For more information, call 518-891-4190.