Rolf Peterson of Michigan Tech University was the lead biologist on Isle Royale for decades. In this photo, Peterson gives WCC educators an opportunity to help process an elk that was taken down by Yellowstone wolves.

The number of wolves that call Lake Superior’s Isle Royale home has dwindled to just 16 with only two breeding females. Scientists fear that this limited population may not be sustainable much longer.

Isle Royale, a U.S. National Park, is primarily a wilderness area and it’s been a wonderful outdoor laboratory for many decades. It’s a nearly controlled natural environment because the wolf is the only large predator and moose is their sole source of food. The predator-prey relationship on the island has been the focus of scientific study for over 50 years, the longest wild wolf study in U.S. history.

To learn more about Isle Royale and this unique popultion of wolves, please visit The Wolves and Moose of Isle Royale website.