WHAT IS A MOOSEWATCH EXPEDITION?
Moosewatch Expeditions are an incredible opportunity for you be a part of the wolf-moose research project. Each expedition involves a week-long trek though the boreal forests of Isle Royale. The basic purpose of each expedition team is very simple - to carefully search as much area as possible for moose bones. The expedition will also record other important observations and collect other valuable data. You’ll learn about the natural history of Isle Royale and its wilderness ecosystem. Your group will be completely on its own, and out of contact with other people. You will see Isle Royale in a way that very few other people do, and you'll come away with a new understanding of the natural world and how it works.
On the expedition, your team will be guided by a seasoned expedition leader. The team will hike on and off trails through the northern wilderness of Isle Royale, surrounded by the deep blue waters of Lake Superior. This island oasis of spruce and fir is the most remote and least-visited national park in the lower 48 United States. Surrounded by the deep, blue waters of Lake Superior, with no roads or land vehicles, it is a haven for hikers who want to "get away to it all." It also happens to be the best place in the world to learn about moose and wolves.
You will travel through rugged backcountry, using aerial photos, topographic maps, and compasses as your guide, and search for and collect moose bones from winter wolf kills and starved animals. Each moose bone tells a story—of the size, age, and health of the victim and, by extrapolation from many kills on our database, of the moose population at large.
These expeditions are for experienced backpackers only, as you will be hiking up to 16 kilometers a day with a backpack that grows even heavier with moose bones near the end of your hike.
After a challenging hike on and off trail, you'll be glad to set up your tent and cook a simple meal over a single-burner stove. Double tents are encouraged to minimize pack weight, and foods are limited to typical backpacking fare. Despite the lack of variety, it is remarkable how good instant noodles Stroganoff can taste in the waning light of the north woods. At campsites and along the way you may catch glimpses of ospreys, bald eagles, loons, otters, and, of course, moose.
You can be part of this classic study to understand the driving forces behind population booms and crashes. Results of this research have helped turn around public attitudes toward wolves and revolutionize wildlife-management and wolf-reintroduction policies worldwide.
