Moose Bones!

My time on Isle Royale was spent in search of bones...

MOOSE BONES.

Many of these moose died years ago and their skeletons have become part of the island...

covered in moss and leaves....

Ancient moose skull (Photo courtesy of Jason Duetsch {Shiras Photography})

Wayne Shannon with unearthed skull (Photo courtesy of Jason Duetsch {Shiras Photography})

Our team found many bones. 

Swampy skeleton (Photo courtesy of Jason Duetsch {Shiras Photography})

Woman power! Ifi and I haul moose bones (Photo courtesy of Jason Duetsch {Shiras Photography})

Moose bones strapped to my pack (Photo courtesy of Jason Duetsch {Shiras Photography})

Our team brought back five moose skulls! (L>R: Me, Bob, Wayne, Ifi, and Jason) (Photo courtesy of Jason Duetsch {Shiras Photography})

This study has been going on for 56 years now and almost 5,000 skulls have been collected. 

Researcher's collection of moose skulls (photo courtesy of Cathy More)

Many scientific papers have been published using information  from these gathered bones.

Find links to these publications here.

And a recent article on the plight of the 
wolves on Isle Royale here.

{Thanks to my fellow hikers for these photos!}

TEAM hiking

Hiking Isle Royale National Park 

in search of moose bones was an amazing experience! I was on a team of five hikers led by Wayne and Jason (see photo below).

Go TEAM! [L>R: Bob, Ifi, Me, and leaders Wayne & Jason]

It was a new experience for me to hike with a group. With the rough terrain, cold conditions, and an occasional missing bridge, it was essential that we watch out for each other in this wilderness.

The bridge was washed out, so we crossed on this log

Our team found many moose bones (I'll blog about that part of the adventure later).

Jason, Wayne, and Bob look over the map

 And we worked well as a team. I'd like to thank Wayne and Jason for their able leadership.

The Question of the Wolves

Clock tower in Chelsea, MI

 The National Park Service is holding public meetings around the Great Lakes to get input about what -- if anything -- should be done to save the population of wolves on Isle Royale.

I attended one of these meetings in Chelsea, Michigan. 

The ranger talks about Isle Royale

There is one pack of wolves currently on Isle Royale with 11 adults. 
This year they had at least 2 pups.

 The pack has lost genetic diversity over time, and there is a genetic skeletal deformation that has become prevalent in the wolves there. 

 These are three alternatives the NPS is considering:

1. No action

2. Bring a new pack to the island once current pack dies out

3. Bringing a few individual wolves to the island to increase genetic diversity and health of pack 

The Lansing State Journal did an amazing special report with gorgeous photos on this topic. It can be found HERE.

I have applied to assist with the moose-wolf study in May of 2014 as part of my current adventure exploring many of the islands of the Great Lakes. Isle Royale is a special place in the lakes, a jewel of a park and home to the longest predator-prey study ever done. Data for The Moose-Wolf Project has now been collected for over 50 years.

Input from the public is welcome. E-mail your comments to:  ISRO_wildlife@NPS.org