Want a good read?

Do you want a good read on the issue of wolves?
Check this book out by Barry Holstun Lopez!

What the heck is going on?

The wolf population on Isle Royale has emerged as a big concern for us in recent years. With sharp declining numbers in population, should we now decide what can and should be done about the wolves before extinction occurs? Or should we let extinctions occur? Some argue that letting nature take its way may be the best course of action to take. But there is a conflict of opinion there because some argue that human intervention must be made, and the wolves must be saved for the sake of the islands ecological health.

In the first decade of the 20th century moose swam their way from the mainland to the isolated Michigan island. Having nothing else to hunt them, the moose population skyrocketed. The islands ecosystem had staggered out of control, until in the late 1940s when an ice bridge from Canada was formed and wolves made their way over to Isle Royale (Vucetich). Because of the large isolation of the island, the wolf population has decreased due to  poor genes from decades of inbreeding. The numbers are down to just 8 wolves, and without genes from new wolves, they face the future problem of extinction.

We have 3 options:

1) Extinction

2) Genetic rescue

3) Wolf reintroduction after extinction.

An argument for letting the wolves go extinct is for the value of science. Isle Royale is home to the worlds largest predator and prey ongoing research in the world. Understanding this relationship is the “most important ecological relationship on the planet ” (Vucetich). This important research is used as case study in textbooks by many new ecologists and wildlife managers.

An argument for saving the wolves is to keep the "wilderness" aspect of Isle Royale. There are very few places that humans have not affected and having a place of almost pure wilderness is something of high value to us, not only in a moral aspect but also in a scientific value aspect.

Source
Vucetich, J. A., Nelson, M. P., & Peterson, R. O. (2013, May 8). Predator and Prey, a Delicate Dance. In The New York Times. Retrieved October 6, 2013, from http://www.nytimes.com/2013/05/09/opinion/save-the-wolves-of-isle-royale-national-park.html?_r=0&adxnnl=1&adxnnlx=1381086210-buy7OS0qgojMtVwKOfDAKw

Wolf Moose ongoing research

Taken from the wolf moose project website. It displays the population trends over the years starting early as 1959!

GREAT SITE!

Want to learn more about the wolf and moose project on Isle Royale?
Visit http://www.isleroyalewolf.org/

They have everything from media coverage to educational informatio to published papers on the issue!

Isle Royale Wolf

Isle Royale Wolves viewed from a helicopter.
Source:  http://www.smithsonianmag.com/