Vermont
Vermont’s adult loon population is at an all-time high, but fewer chicks are surviving – VTDigger
Vermont’s adult loon population is at an all-time high, but scientists have noticed a recent decrease in the number of chicks surviving.
In 2024, Vermont saw a record-breaking 123 nesting pairs, 11 of which landed at first-time nesting sites. Out of the 125 loon chicks that hatched in 2024, 65% survived through the end of August, slightly below the 2004-23 average of 76%, according to the Vermont Center for EcoStudies.
Eric Hanson, a biologist for the Vermont Loon Conservation Project, said the three main reasons for less chick survival are competition, habitat loss, and predation from eagles and other wildlife.
Flooding in Vermont in recent years has contributed to habitat loss and affected nesting success. Twenty-one nests were flooded in the summers of 2023 and 2024, a stark contrast to the one flooded nest reported during the drier summers from 2020 to 2022, according to the center’s 2024 loon season summary.
Nesting loons make their homes in smaller lakes when larger lakes are taken by other pairs of loons with established breeding grounds there. These sites tend to have more marginal habitat, often lacking protective features like marshes or islands. Nests built there are more exposed to predators, such as eagles and snapping turtles. Adults must also leave small lakes to feed in bigger areas where fish are plentiful, and the additional time spent away from their young can lead to their neglect, according to the season summary.
A higher presence of adult loons also creates territorial conflict, resulting in “turf battles” between loons that could prevent a pair from nesting, Hanson said. Chick casualties can also occur during these encounters.
However, lower nesting success rates are part of a natural process as the loon population begins to level out, he said.
“Loons overall are doing really well, and we don’t need to see success all the time,” Hanson said.
Vermont Fish & Wildlife Department Biologist Jillian Killborn said this new phase is a balancing act on the landscape. After years of great success in increasing the loon population, slower growth and productivity is to be expected.
“With any wildlife population, there’s natural checks and balances that are built into populations when they start to get too high or exceed carrying capacity on the landscape,” Killborn said. Now, scientists are figuring out how many loons will remain in Vermont long term and where, she said.
Despite the drop in chick survival rates, Vermont loon chicks do better than those in eastern Maine, New Hampshire and the Adirondack region, according to preliminary data from the Vermont Center for Ecostudies.
Since 1983, volunteers and biologists have been gathering on the third Saturday of July for LoonCount Day, a survey of adult and nesting loons in water bodies statewide. On July 19, Hanson said he expects more than 200 participants to visit 175 lakes in Vermont to tally the number of birds. These efforts are important for tracking loon health, nesting success and the identification of emerging threats, he said.
“We’re just trying to hit everything,” he said. “We’ve expanded that out as loons start to land on smaller ponds compared to what they used to do.”
In tandem with LoonCount Day, the Vermont Loon Conservation Project at the Vermont Center for Ecostudies organizes an annual loon monitoring program, during which volunteers take regular trips to lakes throughout the summer season to post signs in nesting areas and keep tabs on new and known nesting pairs.
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Volunteers paddle to shoreline nesting sites to place signs to alert the public of loon habitats on the Green River Reservoir in spring 2025. Photo by Fiona MacLean courtesy of the Vermont Center for EcoStudies
The nesting signs respectfully ask boaters to give the loons a little space since they are highly territorial, especially during breeding season. If humans get within 10 feet of their nest and the birds feel it’s threatened, they’re more likely to abandon it, Hanson said.
In attempts to curb disruptions along ecologically sensitive shorelines, Vermont passed one of the most protective statewide wake sport regulations in the country in April 2024. However, Hanson said kayakers and people fishing in boats close to the shore create more harm for loons than far-off wake boats.
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Volunteers contribute to monitoring efforts for Vermont’s loons by placing signs along shoreline nesting sites at Green River Reservoir in spring 2025. Photo by Fiona MacLean courtesy of the Vermont Center for EcoStudies
“If we can give them that little bit of space, they’re more likely to hunker down and watch you go by,” he said.
In addition to shoreline disturbances, recreational fishing poses another serious threat to loon survival. After a period of decline, loon deaths due to lead poisoning from ingesting tackle have risen again over the past six years, Hanson said. Ingestion of lead tackle, monofilament fishing line and fishing hooks remains the cause of more than half of loon deaths in Vermont.
Vermont banned the use and sale of small lead sinkers in 2007, but despite the ban’s initial success, loons are still ingesting poisonous tackle, according to Hanson and Killborn. To address the issue, the Vermont Loon Conservation Project partnered with lake associations and the Fish & Wildlife Department last summer to install lead tackle and fishing line collection sites at around 30 public boat access sites, which they plan to add to this year.
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Responsible fishing, boating and recreation are vital to loon health and survival, Killborn and Hanson said. As Vermont’s loon population stabilizes, they emphasized that the next phase of conservation will depend on how well humans learn to share the landscape.
Either way, Killborn said loon numbers are increasing at a sustainable rate, and overpopulation is not yet an issue. “I’m not sure if we’ll ever get there, depending on conditions,” she said.
Vermont
Hundreds of housing units in the works at closely-watched project in Burlington’s South End – VTDigger
This story, by Report for America corps member Carly Berlin, was produced through a partnership between VTDigger and Vermont Public.
A long-awaited housing development that could bring hundreds of new apartments to a series of empty lots in Burlington’s South End neighborhood is beginning to come together.
The first phase of the major public-private deal, called the South End Coordinated Redevelopment Project, got official sign-off from the Burlington City Council last month. The project’s backers have also scored key funding commitments from Treasurer Mike Pieciak’s office and state housing funding agencies.
The project on Lakeside Avenue is the beginning of “a neighborhood being born out of a big parking lot,” Burlington Mayor Emma Mulvaney-Stanak told city councilors in May.
City officials and developers hope the project could eventually include over a thousand homes, making it one of the largest developments in Vermont – and putting a considerable dent in the Queen City’s housing shortage. Regional planners estimate that Burlington needs to add between 3,500 and 10,500 homes by 2050 to get the housing market to a healthy state.
The development is possible, in part, because of a 2023 zoning change in the formerly industrial area that allows for some of the densest housing development in the state, according to local planners.
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A rendering of the South End Coordinated Redevelopment Project, courtesy of Andrew Foley, development director at Jonathan Rose Companies. Credit: GOA Architecture.
The South End project’s backers include Champlain College, Champlain Housing Trust and Ride Your Bike LLC, the investors behind the nearby Hula coworking campus. They have brought on Jonathan Rose Companies, an affordable housing developer with projects from New York to California, as the lead developer. The South End project is the company’s first in Vermont.
The development agreement signed by city councilors in May greenlights the South End project’s first 204 units, estimated to cost roughly $100 million.
Per Burlington’s inclusionary zoning policy and state rules, at least 20% of the first round of apartments will be set aside as affordable. But the developers hope to secure enough funding to allow them to earmark a third of the 204 apartments with income restrictions, said Andrew Foley, director of development at Jonathan Rose Companies, in an interview. The development agreement offers the developers reduced city fees if the affordable units are priced even more modestly than required.
The lion’s share of the new apartments will be studios and one-bedrooms, Foley said. The building would include common social spaces for neighbors to gather, he added.
Like any large-scale housing project, the developers of the South End apartments are piecing together financing from a wide array of sources. They recently scored an $8 million low-interest loan from Pieciak’s 10% for Vermont program, along with a $6.7 million award from the Vermont Housing and Conservation Board to support 67 affordable apartments – including 10 reserved for people experiencing homelessness.
To build out new roads – along with wastewater connections and stormwater infrastructure meant to cut down on sewer overflows into nearby Lake Champlain – city officials are going after funding from a new state program. The Community and Housing Infrastructure Program, a tax-increment financing tool created by the Legislature last year, would allow the city and the developers to borrow the funds needed to build out the infrastructure against the development’s future property tax revenue.
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City officials and the developers are working together to submit an application for this CHIP financing. The South End development could be the first project in the state to utilize the program after its launch in January.
“I think a lot of other potential applicants are kind of saying, ‘I wonder how that South End project works out’ – for us to maybe go first,” Foley said.
With an eye toward lowering the project’s carbon footprint, the development will be all-electric, Foley said. The developers are looking to use mass-timber construction techniques, he added – essentially using large, prefabricated wood panels in place of steel or concrete. They also want to construct a rooftop solar array, employ a geothermal heating and cooling system and promote a “car-light” neighborhood in close proximity to bike paths and transit routes.
The developers hope to close on their construction financing by the end of the year.
“Everyone’s eager to see the construction start and housing built, so we’re trying to move as fast as we can,” Foley said.
Powerball, Mega Millions jackpots: What to know in case you win
Here’s what to know in case you win the Powerball or Mega Millions jackpot.
Just the FAQs, USA TODAY
The Vermont Lottery offers several draw games for those willing to make a bet to win big.
Those who want to play can enter the MegaBucks and Lucky for Life games as well as the national Powerball and Mega Millions games. Vermont also partners with New Hampshire and Maine for the Tri-State Lottery, which includes the Mega Bucks, Gimme 5 as well as the Pick 3 and Pick 4.
Drawings are held at regular days and times, check the end of this story to see the schedule.
Here’s a look at June 2, 2026, results for each game:
Winning Vermont Mega Millions numbers from June 2 drawing
15-26-43-48-60, Mega Ball: 12
Check Vermont Mega Millions payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Gimme 5 numbers from June 2 drawing
03-05-16-32-37
Check Gimme 5 payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Pick 3 numbers from June 2 drawing
Day: 2-5-2
Evening: 5-8-6
Check Pick 3 payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Pick 4 numbers from June 2 drawing
Day: 6-9-7-0
Evening: 3-4-1-3
Check Pick 4 payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Millionaire for Life numbers from June 2 drawing
16-33-41-50-52, Bonus: 01
Check Millionaire for Life payouts and previous drawings here.
Feeling lucky? Explore the latest lottery news & results
Are you a winner? Here’s how to claim your lottery prize
For Vermont Lottery prizes up to $499, winners can claim their prize at any authorized Vermont Lottery retailer or at the Vermont Lottery Headquarters by presenting the signed winning ticket for validation. Prizes between $500 and $5,000 can be claimed at any M&T Bank location in Vermont during the Vermont Lottery Office’s business hours, which are 8a.m.-4p.m. Monday through Friday, except state holidays.
For prizes over $5,000, claims must be made in person at the Vermont Lottery headquarters. In addition to signing your ticket, you will need to bring a government-issued photo ID, and a completed claim form.
All prize claims must be submitted within one year of the drawing date. For more information on prize claims or to download a Vermont Lottery Claim Form, visit the Vermont Lottery’s FAQ page or contact their customer service line at (802) 479-5686.
Vermont Lottery Headquarters
1311 US Route 302, Suite 100
Barre, VT
05641
When are the Vermont Lottery drawings held?
- Powerball: 10:59 p.m. Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday.
- Mega Millions: 11 p.m. Tuesday and Friday.
- Gimme 5: 6:55 p.m. Monday through Friday.
- Lucky for Life: 10:38 p.m. daily.
- Pick 3 Day: 1:10 p.m. daily.
- Pick 4 Day: 1:10 p.m. daily.
- Pick 3 Evening: 6:55 p.m. daily.
- Pick 4 Evening: 6:55 p.m. daily.
- Megabucks: 7:59 p.m. Monday, Wednesday and Saturday.
- Millionaire for Life: 11:15 p.m. daily
What is Vermont Lottery Second Chance?
Vermont’s 2nd Chance lottery lets players enter eligible non-winning instant scratch tickets into a drawing to win cash and/or other prizes. Players must register through the state’s official Lottery website or app. The drawings are held quarterly or are part of an additional promotion, and are done at Pollard Banknote Limited in Winnipeg, MB, Canada.
This results page was generated automatically using information from TinBu and a template written and reviewed by a Vermont editor. You can send feedback using this form.
BRIDGEWATER CORNERS, Vt. (WCAX) – A Vermont brewery is living up to its name to help celebrate the outdoors.
Long Trail Brewing Company is unveiling its “Reallllly Long Trail Ale Pack” in honor of National Trails Day this weekend. They believe it will be the largest single-unit commercially available beer package in the country.
The design for the packaging is 273 centimeters long, reflecting the 273-mile Long Trail that cuts through the length of Vermont. It also holds 168 beers and needs three people just to carry it. The brewery’s Jordan Kellem hopes it can encourage people to, as they say, “Take a Hike!”
“We’ve been brewing beer for a long time, and it’s increasingly more difficult to stand out. And at the end of the day, we have to remind ourselves we’re in the beer industry and it’s a fun industry to be a part of, so we want to have some fun and do what we do,” Kellem said.
They’re also giving back with $15,000 in donations to local trail systems across the state.
National Trails Day is Saturday, June 7.
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