Where are all the loons?
An Aug. 18 online article by the Laconia Daily Sun and New Hampshire Public Radio reported that there are fewer loons in the state than expected. “According to the preliminary results of the 2025 New Hampshire Loon Census, numbers are down statewide,” the article read. “There were 541 adult loons — that comes out to 270 pairs — and that’s far under what we expect our population to be,” the Sun quoted Caroline Hughes, outreach biologist for the Loon Preservation Committee. “The results from the 2024 census yielded 359 loon pairs and 100 or so unpaired loons, showing a preliminary decrease of 89 pairs.”
QOL score: -1
Comment: The Loon Preservation Committee surveys New Hampshire’s lakes each year. According to its website, “lead poisoning resulting from the ingestion of lead fishing tackle is the leading cause of documented Common Loon mortality in New Hampshire, accounting for 159 (42%) of documented adult loon deaths since 1989.”
Girls and Crocs
As reported by Nashua Ink Link in an Aug. 12 online article, 160 girls from Girls Inc. in Nashua and Manchester slipped into new school shoes “thanks to a generous gift of new Crocs from Brady Sullivan Properties. The girls — 75 from the Girls Inc. Manchester Center and 85 from its Nashua Center — traveled by coach bus to the Crocs store at Merrimack Premium Outlets to select their new shoes.”
QOL score: +1
Comment: According to the Crocs website, a Classic Clog can accommodate up to 13 charms per shoe.
Keep your copy of Sunrise on the Reaping
The Manchester City Library announced on Aug. 5 that it is no longer seeking book donations for its upcoming quarterly book sale.“Due to overwhelming public generosity, we are unable to accept any additional donations at this time,” according to the library’s website. “…[P]lease visit us on Saturday, Aug. 23, from 10 a.m.-1 p.m. for our next book sale.”
QOL score: +1
Comment: The Library’s quarterly book sales fund its collection of passes that patrons can check out for reduced or free admission to museums and other institutions.
QOL score: 62
Net change: +1
QOL this week: 63
What’s affecting your Quality of Life here in New Hampshire?
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