Shannon Barber-Meyer
Juan Carlos Blanco
Luigi Boitani
Ludwig N. Carbyn
Glenn D. DelGuidice
Steven H. Fritts
Djuro Huber
O. Liberg
Brent Patterson
Richard P. Thiel
L. David Mech
2017
<p>Wolves (<i>Canis lupus</i>) and moose<span> (</span><i>Alces americanus</i><span>) have been studied since 1958 on 540-square-kilometer Isle Royale National Park, in Lake Superior. Wolves arrived there across the ice around 1949, and the population once increased to about 50, averaging about 25 annually (Mech<span> </span></span><a class="link link-ref link-reveal xref-bibr" data-open="bib4">1966</a><span>, Jordan et al.<span> </span></span><a class="link link-ref link-reveal xref-bibr" data-open="bib3">1967</a><span>, Vucetich and Peterson<span> </span></span><a class="link link-ref link-reveal xref-bibr" data-open="bib8">2009</a><span>). However, for various reasons, wolf numbers there have now dwindled to 2 nonbreeders, and the US National Park Service has proposed reintroducing 20–30 wolves over 3 years (National Park Service<span> </span></span><a class="link link-ref link-reveal xref-bibr" data-open="bib5">2016</a><span>). This situation offers an unparalleled opportunity to promote science-based management of this unique national park. The park has long been in the public eye for its world-renowned wolf and moose populations. Visitors to this island wilderness are especially interested in the scientific studies it has yielded and in maintaining its ecosystem.</span></p>
application/pdf
10.1093/biosci/bix095
en
American Institute of Biological Sciences
An unparalleled opportunity for an important ecological study
article