Wilderness News Online

According to a Voyageurs National Park press release, a recent survey of the park’s moose population revealted that it is holding steady. The aerial survey sited 45 moose–a pleasant surprise for park officials given the decline of other moose populations acrosss northeastern Minnesota and southern Ontario.

Based on the number of sitings and moose behavior that impacts their visibility, officials estimate that 80 moose live in the park. This is on par with the last survey, completed in 1992, which estimated that 35-72 moose lived in the park.

The aerial survey was conducted by the National Park Service with help from the University of Minnesota Duluth, the U.S. Forest Service and the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources. It marked the start of a long-term project by the National Park Service and the U.S. Geological Survey to monitor Moose and Deer populations within the park. You can read the original Voyageur National Park press release HERE.

Moose in Northern Minnesota, Photo by Timothy Eaton