While loons will rearrange the materials that they find on a nest raft, they will not bring any additional nesting material to the nest raft themselves. That means that we must provide them with enough material to build a nest bowl. Providing an adequate amount of nest material is essential, as eggs may roll off of an inadequately provisioned raft, especially in windy conditions or in areas prone to disturbance by boat wakes.

The ultimate goal is to create a raft that has self-sustaining, rooted vegetation. To achieve this from a bare raft, follow these steps:

1) Cover the raft with a layer of topsoil. This can be loam purchased from a local landscaper or soil dug up from along the lake shoreline. Soil should cover the entire raft platform. Add more soil to the center of the raft, to create an elevated bowl.

2) Cover the soil with a layer of leaf litter and/or aquatic vegetation.

3) Top the leaf litter layer with live moss, turf, or plants collected from along the shoreline. This step is important in order to establish rooted herbaceous cover over time. Moss and plants can be collected from along the shoreline, with landowner permission. To prevent the spread of invasive species, it is important to collect raft vegetation and mosses locally.