A journey through moose country: reflections from the 2023 North American Moose Conference field trip at Isle Royale National Park
The North American Moose Conference is an annual gathering that brings together researchers, conservationists, and aspiring graduate students from across the continent. The annual event serves as a platform for sharing cutting-edge research, discussing conservation strategies, and fostering collaboration among moose ecology and management experts.
The first conference was held in St. Paul in 1963 and has rotated throughout the past 50+ years through various iconic locations across North America, including Maine, Washington, Alaska, British Columbia, Nova Scotia, and Minnesota.
In addition to St. Paul hosting the conference, Duluth and Grand Portage have hosted in the past. Grand Portage hosted the 35th conference in 1999. The North American Moose Conference returned yet again to Grand Portage more than twenty years later for the 55th annual conference in 2023.
The multi-day conference and workshop events occurred between May 22-26. They included two field trips to observe moose habitat and learn more about habitat conservation, predator-prey dynamics, and the crucial role researchers play in advancing our understanding and conservation efforts of the symbolic species.
The 55th annual moose conference, hosted by the Grand Portage Band of Lake Superior Chippewa, started off with a field trip to Isle Royale National Park to explore the unique moose inhabited landscape. On May 22, the first day of the conference, nearly 40 conference attendees traveled to Isle Royale National Park on Voyageur II, a 65′ twin-engine diesel vessel that provides mail and passenger service to the island.
WTIP’s Kalli Hawkins was able to tag along for the field trip out to Isle Royale National Park, located about 20 miles offshore from Grand Portage. During the field trip, Hawkins spoke with numerous biologists, researchers, and organizers of the 2023 North American Moose Conference.
Listen to the full in-field feature of the moose conference trip to Isle Royale National Park below.
Kalli Hawkins May 31, 2023
