![]() ![]() “They all tell us something important about our relationship with nature.MARVIN MUSQUIN GOES 3-FOR-3 THIS OFFSEASON “As predator and prey, their lives and deaths are linked in a drama that is timeless and historic,” per the website. The animals “frequently reveal intimate details of their daily life experiences”-as long as humans are willing to stop and pay attention, according to the project’s website. They counted animals white flying overhead in planes, as well as while snowshoeing and cross-country skiing on the ground. To survey the Isle Royale moose and wolf populations this year, researchers spent seven weeks from late January to early March at the park. Adventurous travelers visit to take advantage of the island’s nearly untouched landscape and spend their time hiking, camping, backpacking, fishing, swimming, paddling and scuba diving. It’s only accessible by boat or seaplane, but its remoteness is part of the allure. The scientists spent seven weeks at Isle Royale National Park during the winter to count wolves and moose.Įstablished in 1940, Isle Royale National Park is one of the least-visited national parks in the country-last year, it recorded just 25,454 visits, according to NPS statistics. As a result, its simple ecosystem-which has fewer variables than other, more complex ecosystems-makes it an ideal place for researchers to run long-term studies like this one. Since the island is roughly 12 miles from the nearest stretch of mainland-located to the north, in Canada-many species of wildlife cannot reach it, according to the NPS. The study, now in its 65th year, is the longest-running predator-prey study in the world, reports ’s Tanda Gmiter. Researchers have been investigating the complex dynamic between wolves and moose on Michigan’s remote island since 1958. In Colorado, voters narrowly approved a controversial 2020 ballot measure to reintroduce wolves in the state-the final tally was 50.91 percent in favor of reintroduction and 49.09 percent against it. At Isle Royale and elsewhere, wolf reintroduction remains a hotly debated issue. Still, not everyone supports this type of human intervention into natural wildlife dynamics. “It’s been hugely successful,” says Sarah Hoy, an animal ecologist at Michigan Tech and one of the project’s leaders, to the AP. Together, these and other data suggest the island is on a path toward a healthy wolf population. Today, most of the wolves roaming the island were born there. Researchers have counted a handful of wolf litters since reintroduction efforts began in 2018. Last year, they suspect wolves had three-or possibly four-litters of pups. ![]() Within a year, those efforts appeared to be paying off: Researchers observed one litter of wolf pups in 2019, followed by two litters in both 20. To restore the predators’ numbers, biologists began trapping wolves in Minnesota, Canada and Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, then bringing them to the island. ![]() Just two, highly inbred wolves remained within the national park in January 2018, and scientists did not observe any new litters between 20. In 2018, wildlife experts with the National Park Service (NPS) began translocating wolves to the island to help boost their nearly nonexistent population and keep the number of overgrazing moose in check. Overall, this year’s survey results indicate slow and steady progress toward restoring the island’s predator-prey balance. In this way, the moose die-off-though dramatic-is “needed,” writes John Flesher of the Associated Press (AP). The moose also contribute to their own demise by overbrowsing the young trees, which prevents them from maturing and dropping pine cones that would create more firs. Isle Royale moose are suffering from malnutrition because their primary winter food sources, balsam fir saplings, are infested with spruce budworms. Moose are in decline because of a food shortage on the island. Though the growing wolf population is responsible for some of those deaths-researchers say wolves killed 26 moose from January to March this year-the vast majority of the behemoth mammals died of starvation. The number of moose now stands at 967 individuals, down from 1,346 last year and 2,060 in 2019. And scientists are hopeful the group will be even larger when they count again: Based on their observations, they suspect up to five female wolves may have pups this summer.īut wolves are only one part of the park’s wildlife management efforts-the island’s moose population, meanwhile, is on the decline. According to the latest survey led by researchers at Michigan Technological University, the wolf population has grown by three individuals since last year. The archipelago in northwestern Lake Superior-centered around a 207-square-mile island-is now home to 31 wolves, despite hosting only two in 2018. Wolves are making a comeback at Isle Royale National Park in Michigan after nearly disappearing from the rugged island chain because of inbreeding and disease. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |