Courtesy Isle Royale Wolf-Moose Project
Isle Royale Wolves
Researchers believe these are the last two wolves on Isle Royale, seen here in early 2017. The inbred wolves are father and daughter as well as half siblings.
Isle Royale wolf meetings scheduled
Isle Royale National Park continues to weigh its options for the island’s dwindling wolf population, now down to just two, and will field questions at two open houses this month.
The meetings are Feb. 14 at Pier B Resort in Duluth and Feb. 15 at Magnuson Franklin Square Inn in Houghton, Michigan. Both start at 4 p.m. local time. The park will give a short presentation at 4:30 about the situation, followed by a Q&A.
If you can’t make it to a meeting, register for one of two free webinars: Feb. 16, 4 to 5:30 p.m. Eastern time, and Feb. 21 from 7 to 8:30 p.m. Eastern.
In December, park officials released a draft of an Environmental Impact Statement for potential wolf management options:
The draft plan/EIS evaluates three action alternatives to bring wolves to the island, as well as the no-action alternative of not bringing wolves to the island. The National Park Service draft preferred alternative is Alternative B, which calls for the immediate introduction of 20 – 30 wolves over a three year period. The goal of this alternative is to provide an immediate introduction of wolves that has the potential to be self-sustaining.
The 90-day comment period on the draft continues until March 15. Download the impact statement here.
+ We wrote about the ongoing debate back in 2014, when many hoped an ice bridge would bring literal new life to the island wolf population. Instead, a wolf actually left the island that winter. Some wilderness advocates staunchly oppose any intervention, while other groups say more wolves are needed to bring balance to the ecosystem.
+ For the latest on the island’s wolves and moose, follow along on Facebook with updates from researchers currently doing their annual Winter Study on the island.
Hiring freeze could impact our national parks
Like many parks across the U.S. and Canada, Apostle Islands National Lakeshore and our region’s other national parks depend on seasonal workers and rangers for the busy summer. The federal hiring freeze ordered by new U.S. President Donald Trump has raised questions about staffing for the warmer months ahead, Rick Olivo reports in the Ashland Daily Press.
Most years, the National Park Service would now be starting its seasonal hiring process, but Apostle Islands Superintendent Bob Krumenaker notes that hiring freezes by new administrations have happened before. He believes the odds are good that seasonal hires will be allowed.
Historic Two Harbors tugboat may sink, its supporters say
Lake County News-Chronicle reporter Adelle Whitefoot writes:
The Edna G. tugboat is a historic symbol for the city of Two Harbors, and according to Tom Koehler, the city is at risk of losing it.
Koehler, a member of the Edna G. Commission, spoke at the Two Harbors City Council meeting Monday about the urgency to remove the tugboat from the water and have it cradled on land. The Edna G. was the last working steam tugboat in the U.S. when it was retired in 1980. Since being retired the boat has sat in Agate Bay at its dock taking a beating from the elements.
Tom and Mel Sando, director of the Lake County Historical Society, would like to see it become the centerpiece of Van Hoven Park, connecting to the waterfront trails.
Lake level 6 inches above average: Lake Superior declined a bit less than normal in January and starts February half a foot above normal, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers said in a news release. That’s actually 3 inches lower than at this time last year.
There’s hardly any ice on the Great Lakes this winter, reports Danielle Kaeding for Wisconsin Public Radio. She talked with Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory scientist George Leshkevich, who says ice cover has been trending downwards over the last 40 years.
Soo Locks maintenance is underway: Work crews aren’t draining the locks this winter, but they do get to use an absolutely enormous wrench on a MacArthur Lock project.
Beargrease sled dog race concludes: Musher Ryan Anderson and his four-legged team won the nearly 400-mile race on Minnesota’s North Shore. It’s his third Beargrease victory. The Duluth News Tribune has video from the start and the finish.
Thunder Bay Blues Festival announces lineup: It’ll be all Canadian acts in celebration of the country’s sesquicentennial, the CBC reports, including the Barenaked Ladies, Randy Bachman and Lighthouse. The festival is July 7-9 this year.