Join a Moosewatch Expedition
What is a Moosewatch Expedition?
This is your chance to directly contribute to the Wolf-Moose Project with your own sweat and grit as a citizen scientist.
On the expedition, your team of four to six members will be guided by a seasoned expedition leader. The team will embark on a week-long adventure on and off trails through the boreal wilderness of Isle Royale. This island oasis of spruce and fir is the most remote and least-visited national park in the lower 48 United States. Surrounded by the deep, blue waters of Lake Superior, with no roads or land vehicles, it is a haven for hikers who want to "get away from it all." It also happens to be the best place in the world to learn about moose and wolves.
These expeditions are for experienced backpackers, as you will be hiking up to 16 kilometers a day with a backpack that grows even heavier with moose bones near the end of your hike. The expedition will also face an array of weather challenges, from snow and rain to hot ridges and biting insects, sometimes all on the same day.
You will travel through rugged backcountry, using aerial photos, topographic maps, GPS, and compasses as your guide, with a shared goal to search for and collect moose bones from winter wolf kills and starved animals. Each moose bone tells a story—of the size, age, and health of the victim and, by extrapolation from many kills on our database, of the moose population at large. The expedition will also record important observations and collect valuable data. You’ll learn about the natural history of Isle Royale and its wilderness ecosystem. Your group will be completely on its own, and out of contact with other people. You will see Isle Royale in a way that very few other people do, and you'll come away with a new understanding of the natural world and how it works.
After a challenging hike up and down ridges and across meadows, you'll be glad to set up your tent and cook a simple meal over a single-burner stove. Your hard work ensures a simple freeze-dried meal will taste amazing in the waning light of the Northwoods. At campsites and along the way you may catch glimpses of foxes, toads, ospreys, bald eagles, loons, beavers, otters, and, of course, moose.
Please Note: Review of applications will begin on 15 January 2025 and continue until teams have filled. Returning volunteers will receive priority consideration throughout January 2025. Being accepted as a participant is contingent on:
Our review of your application.
Space available in the expedition of your choice.
We will acknowledge receipt of your application as soon as possible.
Shortly after your application is approved, we will send you more detailed information about the expedition (e.g. detailed packing list, transportation) and information about how to make a suggested $450 tax-deductible donation.
2025 Moosewatch Dates
Expedition #1: 10th - 18th May (Access via Voyageur II, from Grand Portage, MN to Windigo, returning to Grand Portage, MN from Windigo)
Expedition #2: 21st - 29th May (Access via Voyageur II, from Grand Portage, MN to Windigo, returning to Grand Portage, MN from Windigo.)
Expedition #3: 3rd - 11th June (Access via Ranger III, from Houghton, MI to Mott Island, returning to Houghton, MI from Mott Island)
Expedition #4: 1st - 9th August (Access via Ranger III, from Houghton, MI to Mott Island, returning to Houghton, MI from Mott Island)
Purpose of the Wolf-Moose Project
The Wolf-Moose Project of Isle Royale is the longest running study of any predator-prey system in the world. The Project will celebrate its 67th anniversary in 2025.
For more than 60 years, the central purpose of the Wolf-Moose Project has been to better know the wolves and moose of Isle Royale – how they live and die, from day-to-day, across the seasons, and through the years. We aim to better know the behavior, population dynamics, and ecosystem influences of wolves and moose.
The Project also works hard to share these discoveries. In doing so, the Project also goes far beyond the boundaries of conventional science. The Wolf-Moose project includes a traveling museum exhibit, art, extensive educational outreach, and a unique opportunity for people like you to be involved in the research.
Purpose of Moosewatch
The Wolf-Moose Project is comprised of both a winter and summer field season. Moosewatch expeditions are a critical component of the summer field season. During the past decades more than 1,000 people have contributed to the project by participating in an expedition.
The central objective of Moosewatch is to hike and search as much area as possible for moose bones. The bones of these moose provide a great deal of information: cause of death, age at time of death, year of death, and the condition of the moose at the time death. More that 5,300 Isle Royale moose have been discovered and examined. The project curates the world’s largest collection of moose bones. A great deal of what we know about Isle Royale’s moose come from these bones.
Other objectives of Moosewatch expeditions vary, and include observing moose to estimating spring-time hair loss (which is an indication of ticks having impacted moose), collecting wolf scat for DNA analysis, and recording information about island flora.
In addition to all this activity, you’ll also have time to learn much about the natural history of Isle Royale and its denizens and time to simply enjoy the beauty of nature.
Special note on wolves: It is very important that you understand that Moosewatch is not intended to be an opportunity to observe wolves. Seeing a wolf during Moosewatch is extremely unlikely. We go out of our way to avoid any kind of interaction with wolves. Isle Royale wolves face a daily struggle in summer to raise growing pups and to stay alive themselves. For these and other reasons, human contact is not desired.
You will, however, be traveling through and living in country where wolves travel and live. Moosewatchers often see wolf tracks, dropping, and other evidence of their presence.
The Nature of a Moosewatch Expedition
Basic Itinerary
On the first day of your expedition, you will take a ferry to Isle Royale. You will be greeted at the dock by Project leaders. Together, we will spend the next several hours at base camp for orientation, training, and packing equipment. Then, for one week, you will explore the backcountry in search of moose bones with your team leader, and tent camp every evening. On the afternoon of the eighth day, you will return to base camp where your expedition began. Here you will debrief, record data, shower and enjoy a celebratory banquet. On the final morning, you will board a ferry back to the mainland.
Daily Schedule
While traveling through the wilderness, the team will hike together, camping each night in the wilderness. Most daylight hours will be spent moving through the forest or swamp, following animal trails and examining areas where moose skeletons are expected to be found. There will be ample time for observing nature and appreciating the wilderness during the course of each day.
The team will travel together with their team leaders, often spread out a bit for maximum coverage. Under the leader’s direction, groups may split briefly (e.g., to cover both sides of a pond). When moose bones are found, the area is searched to find and gather the dispersed bones for examination. A preliminary analysis of the remains will be made at the site. Several bones, including the skull, mandible, and a leg bone, are collected and carried back to basecamp by the Moosewatchers.
Activities and conditions will vary by expedition. Teams I, II, and III will find somewhat easier hiking because the ground vegetation will just be emerging. This also means greater success in finding moose skeletons. Participants on team IV will encounter much thicker ground vegetation. The earlier expeditions are often challenged by cold temperatures, and the later expedition is often challenged by hot temperatures.
Daily schedules can vary substantially, depending on research needs. Flexibility in this regard is essential.
On some occasions, the team will return to the same camp after a day of hiking. This allows a participant, if they choose, to remain in camp for rest.
Navigation through the wilderness is by GPS, topographic maps, aerial photos, and compass. We purposely route Moosewatchers through regions of the island where we’ve not been before or haven’t visited in years. For this reason, it is good to be prepared for the insecure feeling of making mistakes in navigation. Even with decades of experience in this, even Project leader sometimes take a wrong turn.
In general, the success of the expedition depends on genuine group effort and a strong team spirit.
Low-Impact Backpacking
Isle Royale is a federally-designated wilderness and National Park. According to official, federal policy, all activities in such places are expected to adhere to the principles of Leave No Trace. Before the beginning of your expedition, you should familiarize yourself with these principles by visiting the Leave No Trace website.
Difficulty of Expeditions
These expeditions are NOT routine backpacking trips. The daily routine of expedition days require off-trail navigation through tangles of trees, rock-hopping or wading through creeks and swamps, and climbing up and down ridges and uneven terrain. Days can start cold and wet and temperatures can rise quickly throughout the day. No matter the time of year, biting insects are always a possibility.
The Weight of Your Pack
MOST PEOPLE START WITH A PACK THAT WEIGHS 35 - 50 POUNDS including your own food for a week. In addition to whatever you put in your pack, we will add several pounds of project gear. Unlike most backpacking trips, these expeditions often end with packs that are considerably heavier than they were at the beginning, because of all the moose bones collected. From a single adult moose skeleton, Moosewatchers may pack up to 15 additional pounds of bones.
Climate & Bugs
Moosewatch participants have to deal with whatever conditions nature delivers. The weather at Isle Royale is variable, so prepare for extremes. When it rains, we usually keep walking, so sturdy rain gear (NOT ponchos) is a must. Typical temperatures in May are in the mid-50s F (12-14C) during the day and the mid-30sF (0-3C) at night. Average temperatures in June are slightly higher. In August, high temperatures are in the upper 60sF (19-21C) and typical lows are in the mid 50s (12-14C). Normal precipitation in May/June is around three inches (7.6 cm), usually in the form of rainfall, though snow is possible. Average August precipitation is slightly higher. Humidity can be very high or very low. Volunteers on all teams must be prepared to experience all types of weather – hot, cold, dry, snowy, wet, and windy. We have timed the Expeditions to avoid the heavy insect swarms of mid-summer, but expect to see some black flies and mosquitoes.
Terrain
Most hiking is conducted off-trail. It will be constantly necessary to go over and under fallen trees, work your way through thick vegetation when you can’t see your feet, climb up and down rock ridges, and negotiate bogs and numerous wetlands, all while keeping a sharp look out for moose bones.
Physical Fitness & Conditioning
It is absolutely essential that participants be in excellent physical condition. You must be able to walk several miles (sometimes 10 or more), mostly off-trail, with a heavy pack. Pre-expedition training is a must.
Other Important Information
Food & Water
We require volunteers to bring their own food to ensure you pack foods you enjoy and that meet your dietary restrictions. We will provide basic guidelines for how to pack for a rigorous backpacking trip. We will also provide a communal cook system.
There is no potable water in the backcountry, and we will provide water a filtration system for each team. Each person should bring 2 liters of water capacity.
Gear
Upon acceptance to a Moosewatch expedition, we will provide detailed packing guidance. You will be responsible for your own backpacking gear, including a reliable backpack, tent, and sleep system. We will also provide you a detailed check list of suggested items you should bring.
Accommodations & Facilities
You will be traveling in the wilderness and accommodations will be primitive. You will be working and camping apart from all modern facilities. You will not have electricity, running water, internet access, telephone access, reliable cell phone reception, or flush toilets. Even outhouses will be largely unavailable - knowing how to dig a cathole and use it appropriately is a required element of Leave No Trace Principles.
Communications will be maintained between each volunteer group and base camp with a Garmin InReach satellite device. This would also be the primary means to notify the outside world of any emergency requiring external assistance.
While in the backcountry (Days 1-7), opportunities to clean-up are modest. Soap and other products must not be used in or near any bodies of water – even so-called biodegradable products. Consequently, cleaning-up is limited to splashing off with small containers of water brought up and away from shorelines.
On day 8 of the Expedition, when you return from the backcountry, you will be able to take a “country shower” upon return from the trip – water will be heated on a stove and taken into a tarped enclosure. You should bring your own towel and soap.
Additional information will be provided after acceptance to an expedition.
Safety & Inclusion
The following behaviors will not be tolerated:
♦Physical or verbal abuse and assault
♦Sexual misconduct
♦Discrimination, harassment, or bullying on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, age, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, height, weight, genetic information, marital status, disability, or veteran status
♦Intimidation, threats, retaliation, and coercion
♦Behavior that endangers the health and safety of oneself or others
♦Illegal activity, including possession or use of federally illegal substances
Concerns about harassment or discrimination occurring in an off-campus or off-site working environment should be reported via established University reporting channels or via one of the forms linked below.
♦Incidents or concerns related to discrimination based on sex, sexual misconduct or sexual harassment may be reported online using the Title IX / Sexual
♦Misconduct Reporting Form or by contacting the Title IX Coordinator at <titleix@mtu.edu> or 906-487-3310.
♦Students may report incidents or concerns through the Dean of Students Incident Reporting web page.
♦Employees with concerns other than those covered by Title IX may be reported online using the Discrimination and/or Harassment Reporting Form, by contacting the Equal Opportunity Officer, Beth Lunde-Stockero <blunde@mtu.edu> or 906-487-3310, or by contacting the Chief Human Resources Officer, Dan Carney at <dpcarney@mtu.edu> or 906-487-3309.
♦Following an investigation of sexual misconduct, harassment or discriminatory behavior, Michigan Tech will report to NSF, NIH, and other granting agencies the findings of the investigation as well as any administrative actions resulting from the violation of this policy by a PI or co-PI.
