Getting ready to move wolves from one cold spot to another—especially with a polar vortex relentlessly threading and spreading chaotic cold through the Northland, stitching and sewing a tapestry of frost and lace ice across windows and the open water of Lake Superior, make the task that much more difficult.
But cold or no cold, plans are under way to bring up to six wolves from Canada to the island in the very near future.
For Isle Royale superintendent Phyllis Green and a crew she traveled with to the big island, the task was even more difficult because of the government shutdown.
When they arrived on the island this past week everything was frozen.
“Nothing worked out here with this cold snap…. had to thaw out batteries, generators and mechanical equipment by the wood stove before anything would start …-19 hurts. But we have our telecoms up and a warm place for folks to work as of today,” she reported on Monday, January 28.
Hopefully, with the work done by the National Parks of Lake Superior Foundation (The Foundation), there won’t be any more government shutdowns that will affect the work on Isle Royale, at least not this winter.
On Monday, January 28 Sona Mehring, chairman of the National Parks of Lake Superior Foundation announced that the Foundation has been working nonstop the past several weeks to ensure two vital projects related to the wolf and moose population on Isle Royale could move forward.
Even with the temporary opening of the U.S. government, this agreement allows these projects to be “shutdown proof,” she said.
The relocation of up to six Canadian wolves to Isle Royale is considered essential for enhancing the genetic diversity of a re-established wolf population on the island. More wolves are needed to help keep the moose population in check.
There are currently five wolves on the island, three that were brought over from Grand Portage in the fall of 2018 and two older wolves that were born there.
Meanwhile, moose are thriving on the 45-milelong, nine-mile-wide Michigan-owned forested land that sits like a green jewel about 17 miles from the shore of Grand Portage.
In the early 1980s, there were an estimated 50 wolves on the island. Disease, inbreeding, and wolves killing wolves are thought to be the main culprits for the demise of the wolves.
Since 2009 the wolf population has fallen by more than 90 percent.
In a series of winter surveys conducted by Michigan Tech professors John Vucetich and Ralph Peterson, the population of moose on the island increased from 540 in 2011 to 750 in 2012. Today, with a lack of predation, it is estimated there are between 1,500 and 1,600 moose.
At 206.73 square miles, Isle Royale is one of the most densely populated areas for moose on the planet.
Moose and wolves
According to researchers, moose can live to be 17 years old and weigh as much as 1,800 pounds. A typical moose weighing 800 pounds can consume up to 71 pounds of food per day in the summer.
Grey wolves will live up to 12 years but tend to perish before their 4th birthdays. They die mostly from starvation or from a fight with another wolf or problems caused by inbreeding or disease.
A wolf can eat as much as 20 pounds of meat at one feeding. Ravens, who follow wolves, will eat as much as 2 pounds of meat at a feeding. Red fox will also eat some of the wolf kills. With fewer wolves to hunt moose, over the last couple of years the fox and ravens have had to make do in other ways.
Wolves first came across on an ice bridge from Canada in either the late 1940s or as late as 1950, making a winter crossing when a portion of Lake Superior froze. Wolves (mostly) thrived on the island until 2009, when the population started to crash.
Relocation plan
A relocation plan with park staff and the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry has been in the works since last summer for an early January delivery of wolves to the island, but efforts were halted by a combination of issues including the furlough on the U.S. side of the border.
The Foundation is ensuring funds that allow the management agencies on both sides of the border to start the operation as soon as a four-day weather window is available to achieve the capture and transfer of wolves from Michipicoten Island in Ontario.
When asked how much the relocation will cost, Mehring replied,
“I do not have the detailed accounting, but the approximate cost is $50,000 for all personnel, equipment, monitoring, etc.”
As part of the agreement with the National Park Service, the Foundation will, if necessary, place the full National Park Service cost of operations for relocation (and subsequent monitoring of success) in a government account.
In addition, the National Park Service also required a contingency fund be established for successful closure of the island upon completion of the transfer and monitoring project.
Preparations begin on the big island
Meanwhile, Isle Royale Superintendent Phyllis Green and several employees— some who will do the annual winter moose count—were getting ready as best they could in anticipation of greeting new wolves to the island.
“Moving wolves is very dependent on the weather window, but I am communicating with you from the island and we have everything ready for when our partners in Ontario are able to move forward with the project,” said Phyllis via email.
Keeping the park open
Thanks to a new partnership between the Foundation and Michigan Technological University (MTU), said Mehring, the Foundation also received approval from the National Park Service to use additional donated funds to allow the park to continue to stay open and, among other research objectives, monitor the status of newly relocated wolves and determine the fate of the two original resident wolves.
The newer transplanted wolves were, and plans were for researchers to follow their progress, but, “Unfortunately, with the government shutdown, no tracking of the wolves in fall of 2018 has occurred since December 22, 2018,” said Mehring. “At that time the three wolves transferred were doing well.
“A key part of this winter transfer is to re-establish monitoring of all the wolves, the two that were already on Isle Royale, plus the three brought over in fall 2018 and then, hopefully, six new wolves from Ontario.”
The Foundation
“The Foundation has worked for more than a decade to help all the national parks around Lake Superior preserve the natural resources and cultural heritage for the enjoyment of current and future generations of visitors,” said Mehring. “We are proud to step in and ensure the Isle Royale wolf relocation project does not derail and help to maintain the continuity of the 60-year winter study that has provided invaluable understanding of wolves and their prey in a natural setting.”
“We’re determined to continue to bring together generous donors to ensure the very vulnerable wolf relocation efforts and the long-term science can be implemented smoothly despite what curves weather and humans may add to this remote wild island.”
Who makes up the National Parks of Lake Superior Foundation?
“The National Parks of Lake Superior Foundation has a board of eight people,” Mehring said. “We work with five national parks that are all next to Lake Superior.
“The National Parks of Lake Superior Foundation (NPLSF) is the only official nonprofit 501(c) (3) fundraising partner of the National Park Service (NPS) for all five U.S. national park sites on Lake Superior – Apostle Islands National Lakeshore, Grand Portage National Monument, Isle Royale National Park, Keweenaw National Historical Park, and Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore.
“The NPLSF mission is to provide financial support for projects and programs that preserve the natural resources and cultural heritage of these five Lake Superior national parks for the enjoyment of current and future generations of visitors. The projects and programs NPLSF supports are beyond the National Park Service budget and could not be accomplished without financial help from NPLSF,” said Merhring.
“Using funds from grants and private donations, NPLSF collaborates with the National Park Service to continue the legacy of our Lake Superior national parks, and provide the national park experience visitors expect and deserve.”
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