Moosewatch 2021 PART 2

Loreen Niewenhuis is an author, adventurer, and dynamic speaker. 

She has completed a trilogy of 1,000-mile journeys exploring the Great Lakes and has authored three books about these adventures. 

To learn more about her work, or to engage her as a speaker, go to 

http://www.laketrek.com/great-lakes-speaker/

The primary goal of a Moosewatch Expedition on Isle Royale is to gather data on moose bones in the field and to bring some of the bones back for study. 

Since the study was suspended due to Covid last year and since additional wolves were relocated to the island, we expected to find more moose bones. 

And we were not disappointed.

With each find, we searched the area for all the bones we could find, recorded which ones were present, inspected bones for signs of pathology (e.g. arthritis, healed breaks -- these bones would also be recovered for study), recorded data on location of find and condition of bones. Then, we would pack up the skull, mandibles, and a rear metatarsal. This last bone grows to its full length in the first year of a moose's life, so measuring it gives a wealth of information on how that first year went for the moose (e.g. was food abundant/scarce?).

Our last find was on the hike in to Windigo to meet up with other teams and deliver our bones. This moose was killed a few weeks ago, so we smelled it before we found it.

Every bone was present except for one scapula.

Fox love to run around with the bones, so it was probably carted off by a fox.

Here's my team, 

the second all-women Moosewatch Team:

(L>R: April, Joceline, Zan, and Julie)

 

In Search of Moose Bones (5th in a series about Isle Royale)

Loreen Niewenhuis is an author, adventurer, and dynamic speaker. 

She has completed a trilogy of 1,000-mile adventures exploring the Great Lakes and has authored three books about these adventures. 

To learn more about her work, or to engage her as a speaker, go to 

http://www.laketrek.com/great-lakes-speaker/

This year, Moosewatch Teams had GPS data from collared wolves newly introduced to the island. While not all of these data points were kill sites, when there was a moose kill it was pretty fresh.

The recent kills that our all-women team found still had some fur on the lower legs and all hooves were still present. You know how your dog loves to chew on hoof trimmings? So do wolves, and they'll be back for them.

First kill site

Hooves still present

Recent kills still have moose ticks hanging around

Skull

pelvis of yearling moose 

Second kill site

Lower moose jaw held by my excellent team (April, Joceline, and Julie)

Wolves!

Loreen Niewenhuis is an author, adventurer, and dynamic speaker. 

She has completed a trilogy of 1,000-mile adventures exploring the Great Lakes and has authored three books about these adventures: 

A 1,000-Mile Walk on the Beach  [A Heartland Indie Bestseller]

A 1,000-Mile Great Lakes Walk   [Winner of the Great Lakes Great Reads Award] 

A 1,000-Mile Great Lakes Island Adventure  [Long-listed for the Chautauqua Prize]

 

To learn more about her work, or to engage her as a speaker, go to http://www.laketrek.com/great-lakes-speaker/

The National Park Service has completed the final administrative hurdle to authorize the transport of wolves to Isle Royale.

Press Release HERE.

This is good news for this wilderness island with its exploding moose population. Currently there are an estimated 1,500 moose "...with the potential to double in the next 4-5 years without wolf predation" 
(Ecological Studies of Wolves on Isle Royale Annual Report 2017 - 2018 
by Rolf O. Peterson, John A. Vucetich, and Sarah R. Hoy).

The two wolves currently on the island are  7 and 9 years old. They are a male and female, closely related, and not likely to breed successfully. 

New wolves will bring significant changes to the island which will be observed by scientists and volunteers hiking Moosewatch Expeditions.

A huge fallen tree on the island (& Me)

Balsam fir browsed by moose during the winter

Bull moose skull gathered by Moosewatch team 2018

I will lead an all-women team of hikers in 2019 on a Moosewatch Expedition.

If you'd like more information about hiking a Moosewatch Expedition next year, please email me at: 

LakeTrek@gmail.com

Isle Royale Sunrise

Sunrise on Isle Royale begins with a glow on the horizon, then a wash of color.

It spreads and builds as the sun creeps up over the horizon.

This sunrise was reflected in Feldtmann Lake on the island's SW corner. I could hear a moose splashing along the edge of the trees in the distance. And a beaver swam past taking inventory of his trees.

Next year, I will lead an all-women team of hikers searching for moose bones and gathering scientific data on the island. 
If you are interested, please email me at:  LakeTrek@gmail.com

More info about Moosewatch Expeditions

HERE.