The monumental Isle Royale Wolf/Moose Study, which has been active for more than fifty years, has been a riveting drama to follow. In recent years, the wolf population has been in decline, raising questions as to the future of the wolf on Isle Royale. Below-average temperatures this winter have created an ice bridge between Isle Royale and the mainland, a fairly-rare and potentially promising event for the wolves of Isle Royale. Read what Michigan Tech’s Rolf Peterson and John Vucetich have to say on the subject in this week’s issue of Nature http://www.nature.com/news/iconic-island-study-on-its-last-legs-1.14697 and don’t miss the link to the editorial at the end of the article.
The American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) has posted an eight-minute audio slide show on its web site about Michigan Tech’s ongoing wolf-moose research at Isle Royale National Park. The presentation features Professor Emeritus Rolf Peterson and Associate Professor John Vucetich, as well as their colleague, Michael Nelson, an environmental ethicist at Michigan State University. Although the audio slide show is accessible only to members of AAAS, a free three-day trial membership will enable you to see it. Sign up for the free trial membership at AAAS.
Isle Royale, Summer 2012. Join us in the field for a Moosewatch research expedition as part of the Wolf-Moose Study program on Isle Royale!
Do you have an interest in wildlife ecology and wolf-moose dynamics? Are you passionate about wilderness camping and our National Parks? Are you a hardy soul with a tolerance for bugs, lack of conveniences, and long days of rugged hiking? If so, please consider a special opportunity to volunteer for the renowned wolf-moose study at Isle Royale National Park. Expedition teams are being organized right now
Expedition #1: May 5–13, via Voyageur II, Grand Portage, MN
Expedition #2: May 14– 21, via Queen IV, Copper Harbor, MI
Expedition #3: May 26–June 3, via Voyageur II, Grand Portage, MN
Expedition #4: July 31–August 8, via Ranger III, Houghton, MI
Please visit www.isleroyalewolf.org (click on Research Expeditions) to learn about how you can participate this summer. You will find information about the Moosewatch research expeditions, photos, and how to apply. If you have specific questions, please contact Ken Vrana (kjvrana@mtu.edu), director, Isle Royale Institute.
We hope to see some of you on the island this summer!
John Vucetich and Leah Vucetich
Rolf Peterson and Candy Peterson
Associate Professor John Vucetich is the author of a blog, Scientist at Work, published January 16, 2012 in the New York Times online. The blog is the first of a series on the annual Winter Study of the wolves and moose of Isle Royale. Read the article: NY Times.
A feature article about Research Professor Rolf Peterson and Associate Professor John Vucetich’s research on the wolves and moose of Isle Royale was published in the December 2011 issue of the journal BioScience.
Assistant Professor John Vucetich and Research Professor Rolf Peterson contributed to “Great Lakes National Parks in Peril,” a report released Wednesday by the Rocky Mountain Climate Organization and the Natural Resources Defense Council. The report fingers climate change as a cause for the slump in Isle Royale National Park’s moose population and the subsequent decline in the number of wolves. The report is available park. |
Assistant Professor John Vucetich and Co-PI Rolf Peterson have received $36,600 from the US Department of Interior, National Park Service, for the first year of a five-year project, “Wolf-Moose Long-Term Monitoring on Isle Royale National Park 2011-2016.”