Environment & Climate Change

Lessons from Isle Royale's Wolves and Moose

To find the northernmost point in Michigan, you have to take a boat or seaplane to Isle Royale.The island is the largest in Lake Superior and it's also home to Michigan's only National Park.The remoteness of the island, and the fact that the island is largely untouched by humans has made for a perfect place to watch nature take its course.Michigan Radio's Rebecca Williams and Mark Brush traveled to Isle Royale to meet the researchers who have been watching how wolves and moose interact for 54 years. The research project is the longest continuous study of any predator-prey system in the world.What researchers have learned on this natural island laboratory has informed ecological science around the world.

Michigan Senators want quicker action on Isle Royale's fading wolves

Michigan Public | By The Associated Press

Published May 29, 2015 at 2:47 PM EDT

TRAVERSE CITY, Mich. - Several U.S. senators want the federal government to decide faster what to do about Isle Royale National Park's imperiled wolf population.

Scientists say only three gray wolves remain on the Lake Superior island chain. Their numbers have plummeted in recent years, probably because of illness and inbreeding complications.

Wolves have long preyed on moose, helping keep their island population in check.

Sens. Gary Peters and Debbie Stabenow of Michigan sent a letter Friday to Jonathan Jarvis, director of the National Park Service. They said without wolves, the moose will degrade Isle Royale's vegetation and eventually suffer their own crash.

The park service is planning a review that could last two to three years. The senators urged the agency to move faster and consider emergency measures, including bringing in more wolves.