Wildlife
Scientists tackle mystery of Isle Royale’s red foxes
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Why do Isle Royale’s red foxes feel comfortable close to humans?
Recreation
Isle Royale trail guide gets digital makeover
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A longtime guide to trails on Michigan’s Isle Royale has been updated with downloadable maps and QR codes.
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Isle Royale squirrels may have swum from mainland
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Isle Royale’s abundant red squirrels were once considered a localized subspecies. But the latest DNA testing tells a different story.
Wildlife
Michigan lawmakers push for moose hunt in national park
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Four lawmakers want the Michigan House of Representatives to adopt a resolution urging the National Park Service “to establish a moose tag lottery hunt” to help control the island’s growing moose population.
Hiking
Minong Ridge Trail: One tough trek
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The Minong Ridge trail on Isle Royale is “arguably the hardest hike in Michigan.”
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Isle Royale wolf rescue faces longterm genetic challenge, researchers say
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Researchers say inbreeding is likely inevitable, despite efforts to increase genetic diversity in the island’s wolves.
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Can hungry wolf immigrants save Isle Royale forests?
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Six of the animals were transferred from another Lake Superior island in a bid to control Isle Royale’s moose population and restore its forests.
isle royale
Don’t poo-poo moose poop
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What are moose poop and pee good for? That’s a science question, and research on Isle Royale and in northeast Minnesota shows moose effectively transfer nitrogen — an essential nutrient for forest health — from the aquatic plants they chow down on to fertilize the forest.
Echo
Isle Royale gets historic designation
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The National Park Service has put Isle Royale – Minong in Ojibwe – on the National Register of Historic Places. The action formally recognizes centuries of historic legacies of the 400-island archipelago in Lake Superior, including copper mining, fishing, hunting, trapping, recreation and a wide range of uses by the Grand Portage Band of Lake Superior Chippewa.
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Biodiversity surprise: Scientists puzzled by martens’ return to Isle Royale
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Martens were historically abundant on Isle Royale but, as valuable furbearers, were heavily trapped until 1917 when the last recorded specimen was found. Now they’re back, and scientists aren’t sure how they got there.