MI Researchers Suspend Wolf, Moose Study In UP Due To Warmer Temps

ISLE ROYALE, MI — A group of Michigan researchers said they are forced to suspend the annual Wolf and Moose Winter Study on Isle Royale for the first time in 65 years.

Michigan Technological University researchers said the ice on harbors and bays around Isle Royale in Lake Superior was melting, raising concerns a ski-plane carrying the group would not be able to safety land.

"For the first time in 65 years, winter study has been suspended because of the unprecedented, prolonged period of above freezing temperatures in January which are expected to continue into February," research team members said today in a social media post. "A lot has changed over the past 48 hours as the weather forecast has shifted."

The group said if cold temperatures return sometime in February and ice conditions on the harbors improve, then researchers could return to the island to conduct the research.

• Related - Balmy, Dry February Predicted For MI In Weather Outlook

Each winter, a research team spends a few weeks on the island, which is also a national park, estimating the number of moose and wolves on Isle Royale. It's the world’s longest-running predator-prey study in the world.

The park is closed to visitors in the winter except for the university’s research team.