by RALPH MAUGHAN
Public meetings slated for July 27-30 and comments due Aug.29-
With the all but certain demise of the Isle Royale wolves just ahead and moose population already expanding, the National Park Service says it is working on a plan to deal with the situation.
While the wolf population might not yet be entirely gone, the outcome is obvious — no wolves while their prey, the moose, grow to and beyond the limits of their habitat, permanently damaging the national park and its permanent carrying capacity for moose and other animals.
The time for “letting nature take its course” is over. The last few wolves will die (assuming they are not dead already). The moose numbers explode, barring some natural disaster.
It is possible that new wolves will cross over from Minnesota, Michigan, Wisconsin, or Ontario while the Service is preparing this “Moose-Wolf-Vegetation Management Plan,” but the last two winters show that even if wolves do cross over, they might quickly leave this big island in Lake Superior that very winter.
It is easy to see any plan other than full wolf restoration is ecologically disastrous.
Here is the info on the meetings-
Dates for the Open Houses:
■July 27 – Houghton, Michigan – Superior Room inside the Magnuson Hotel Franklin Square Inn
■July 28 – Isle Royale National Park – Rock Harbor Auditorium
■July 29 – Grand Portage, Minnesota – Grand Portage National Monument Visitor Center
■July 30 – Isle Royale National Park – Windigo Visitor Center