In 2019, a loon found itself trapped in the reflecting pool at the Minnesota State Capitol. Dozens of onlookers watched as rescuers used the elevator system to extract the bird and release it into nearby Lake Phalen. Engineers are currently working on "Mark II" versions of the Loons Elevator. These include solar-powered water pumps to create a current that attracts loons to the ramp and remote-controlled floating gates.
But thanks to a simple ramp, a dedicated rescuer, and a device that defies its name—the —the loon is still flying. It is not an elevator to a penthouse or a subway. It is an elevator from the brink of extinction back to the sky. If you find a stranded loon, do not approach it. Call your local wildlife rehabilitation center immediately. And ask if they have a Loons Elevator. loons elevator
Furthermore, loons require a "runway" to take off. They need 30 to 100 yards of open water to flap their wings and patter their feet across the surface to generate enough lift for flight. In 2019, a loon found itself trapped in
This article dives deep into what the Loons Elevator is, why it exists, how it works, and why this bizarre piece of machinery might be the only reason the iconic call of the loon hasn’t gone silent. The Loons Elevator is a custom-built, portable ramp or platform used by wildlife rehabilitators and researchers to help stranded loons take off from water that is too small or too shallow for their natural runway. These include solar-powered water pumps to create a
Loons often land in the wrong places. A foggy night, a small farm pond, a flooded parking lot, or a residential swimming pool can look like a safe lake from the air. Once they land, they realize the body of water is too small for takeoff. They are trapped. Without a Loons Elevator , they would starve or be killed by predators. The Mechanics: How Does a Loons Elevator Work? Contrary to its name, a Loons Elevator does not go up and down inside a shaft. It is more like an amphibious rescue sled.
Meanwhile, the term "Loons Elevator" has entered the lexicon of environmental engineering as a metaphor: a low-tech, high-empathy solution to a high-tech problem. The next time you hear that wild, laughing tremolo of a loon across a northern lake, remember the journey. That bird might have been a statistic. It might have landed on a wet highway, or a flooded golf course, or a koi pond in someone’s backyard.
To understand the elevator, you must first understand the loon’s tragic flaw: