STATEWIDE -- Loon license plate holders are getting a deal this weekend with free admission to state parks.

The "Conservation Plate Holder Appreciation Days" is an annual event sponsored by Maine's Conservation and Inland Fisheries and Wildlife departments.

Those departments use the proceeds from conservation license plates, which feature an image of a loon, toward improvements at state parks and historic sites and to manage rare, threatened and endangered species in Maine.

On Saturday and Sunday, all occupants of vehicles carrying the conservation plates will be admitted free of charge.

The loon plate was introduced in 1994 and reached an all-time high of more than 110,000 plates in 1998. But with more license plate designs now available, the number of cars carrying the loon plates now numbers about 63,000.