Hello PLA Community,

We have received some not very welcome news from the Loon Preservation Committee regarding the testing that was performed on the unhatched, abandoned egg collected from Bella Island last year.  The egg was found to have a high level of PCBs.  The manufacture of PCBs was banned in 1979 because of health issues associated with exposure but the hazardous contaminants are still found in air, water, soil and sediment today.  Once again this is not a problem that is specific to Province Lake but something that is present in all of our lakes.  Once these contaminants are in our environment there is very little that breaks them down.  The contaminants found in the eggs are one data point and would have come primarily from the fish they were eating in the weeks preceding egg-laying.  Please consider this when considering consuming fish caught from Province Lake.  Eating fish from any lake or pond in NH has not been advised for many years due to concerns related to mercury content.  We will be working with DES and the Loon Preservation Committee to get  some of our fish tested to give us specifics related to the types and levels of contaminants.  

One bright spot is that last year we also had a successful hatch of a loon that was able to mature and successfully leave Province Lake in the fall.  That had not happened in many years and speaks somewhat to the fact that our lake is healthy enough to support loons. At this time there are at least two loons on the lake and we have put out the floating nest.  Maybe they will decide to use the island again?  Whatever they choose we will all do what we can to support them.  Hopefully we will have good news on that front soon.

The information provided to us can be viewed at by clicking here …. Loon Egg

Thanks,

Jim Aiken
Province Lake Association