Three scientists have published an op-ed in the New York Times calling for the National Park Service to not let Isle Royale’s wolf population disappear. There are now so few wolves on the remote Lake Superior island that there are questions about whether or not there is enough genetic diversity, and even enough females, to naturally survive. Wild vs. [...]
Thursday, May 9, 2013
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Bill Hansen, whose parents began Sawbill Canoe Outfitters in 1957 and who has built his outfitting business into one of the most respected in the BWCAW, had the pleasure of spotting two conversing lynx last week while driving down the Sawbill Trail. Lynx are seclusive but iconic predators of the boreal forest and rarely seen [...]
Wednesday, May 8, 2013
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Photo by Steve Wall via Flickr The moose population in Voyageurs National Park remains steady, according to a Park Service study released Tuesday. Aerial surveys conducted in late February indicate a population of 46 animals, compared to 51 in 2009. Over the same time period, the population of northeastern Minnesota moose is believed to have declined [...]
Wednesday, April 24, 2013
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The stubborn winter of 2013 seems to be baffling scientists and old-timers alike, but just how late will this year’s Quetico-Superior’s ice-out be? Following an extremely early ice-out in 2012 might make this year just seem late, but no. With paddling forum entries reporting ice still as much as three feet thick on Boundary Waters’ [...]
Sunday, April 14, 2013
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The Minnesota moose population has plummeted by 50% in just two years. In an attempt to discover what is causing this dramatic decline, this winter the DNR began an aggressive research study by attaching sophisticated GPS-equipped transmitters to 111 moose. The collars transmit a message when a moose is dying, and the hope was that [...]
Wednesday, March 27, 2013
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In the March 25 Minneapolis Star Tribune, Lee Frelich, director of the University of Minnesota’s Center for Forest Ecology notes that the lowly earthworm, often thought of as a friend to the backyard gardener, is actually a dangerous invasive. Earthworms threaten northern forests by eating the duff and litter of the forest floor. This causes [...]
Thursday, March 14, 2013
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Although still a long way from suspending the hunt, this vote is seen by the St. Paul Pioneer Press as a victory for the opponents of wolf hunting in Minnesota. On Monday, the Duluth News Tribune reported that a group that opposed this year’s wolf hunt, Howling for Wolves, released the results of a statewide [...]
Thursday, March 14, 2013
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The most visible opposition to the recently completed new Minnesota wolf hunting season was ecological. How could a animal go from the endangered list to the target of sport hunters in a such a brief span of time? The Minnesota DNR presented compelling evidence that a tightly regulated hunting season would not threaten the species [...]
Monday, March 4, 2013
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The Lake Superior summer water temperatures are increasing more rapidly than regional air temperatures. According to an article in the Ely Timberjay, the surface water temperatures of Lake Superior increased approximately 6 degrees F between 1979 and 2006. This is significantly greater than regional atmospheric warming. How this change will impact biodiversity and the proliferation [...]
Sunday, February 17, 2013
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According to Saint Cloud Times reporter Glenn Schmitt, MN DNR aerial survey results last month indicate a 35 percent drop in the northeast Minnesota moose population from the previous year and a 52 percent decline from 2010. The current estimate of the moose population is 2,760 animals down from 4,320 animals in 2012. Although DNR [...]
Friday, May 10, 2013
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