St. Paul Minnesota DNR officials say the state’s new loon license plates have been a hit. In just one year, the colorful plates have added $2 million to the state’s efforts to save wildlife habitat.

A motorist pays a $10 one-time fee and then $30 a year extra for
the special plates that fund the Reinvest in Minnesota Critical
Habitat Matching Account.

The loon plates came out in May of last year. The state’s
original critical habitat licenses were first sold in 1996 and
featured white-tailed deer. After seven years, about 35,400 deer
plates were on the road. It took just over a year for the loon
plates to top that, with sales now reaching about 38,400.

Given that $2 million was raised last year, and the money can’t
be spent until there are private donations to match it, the total
impact is expected to be about $4 million. For more information
about the plates, or to order them online, visit the web site:
http://www.dnr.state.mn.us/features/plates/index.html, or call the
DNR at (651) 296-6157.