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News from the Keweenaw Peninsula Posted July 8, 2007 Text © Julie Nordstrom. Photo © 2006 John Vucetich. Reprinted with permission.

Wolves and Moose of Isle Royale DVD explains research

By Julie Nordstrom

HOUGHTON -- "Collaboration" is a word that Michigan Tech Forestry Professor John Vucetich uses to describe Wolves and Moose of Isle Royale, a DVD released recently by Solex Media. The DVD is a collaboration of research and production about wolves and moose, intended to educate the public about the most significant predator-prey relationship on Lake Superior’s largest island.

This photo of the Middle Pack on Lake Desor, Isle Royale, was taken in February 2006 by John Vucetich, co-leader of Isle Royale wolf-moose research. It is one of the 135 photos one can find in the Wolves and Moose of Isle Royale DVD. (Photo © 2006 John Vucetich. Reprinted with permission.) Read more about the wolves in this photo.

Dr. Rolf Peterson -- Vucetich’s mentor at Michigan Tech -- has been researching the relationships between Isle Royale’s wolf and moose populations for 30 years. For the past 17 of those years Peterson and Vucetich have collaborated on this research. Together they have demonstrated qualities that scientists need when studying something year after year: They need, as Vucetich says, "patience and endurance." 

The long research was worth the wait. In the DVD, Vucetich presents an exciting and provocative story about the animals on Isle Royale.

"It’s an obligation to share science with the general public," Vucetich says.

He educates the public about wolves and moose, so that the viewers too can have an understanding of the animals' ecosystem and the way they live. Comparing moose antlers to sports cars and showing how a pack of wolves will take down a moose are just a few points of interest in the DVD. 

In introducing the video, Vucetich quotes 16th-Century German Physician Paracelsus to emphasize that one needs to learn about nature in order truly to love and understand it: "He who knows nothing loves nothing; but he who understands also loves, notices, sees . . . The more knowledge that is inherent in a thing, the greater the love."

Solex Media, a division of Monte Consulting Company, a local company, provided the opportunity for sharing this research. According to Solex Owner Matt Monte, this DVD fits perfectly with the mission of Solex Media -- to create audio and video productions that educate, enrich and inspire audiences. 

"The lecture, stories and photos by Dr. Vucetich not only give insight to the hidden world of Isle Royale ecology, but also touch upon the role of research in society and even ethics," Monte notes. "Because much research remains difficult to access within journal publications, Solex helps to visualize research results and presents the story of how researchers work -- making their work more accessible to educators and the general public."

To purchase a Wolves and Moose of Isle Royale DVD, visit one of the following: the Isle Royale Natural History Association Web site, the Solex Web site, Book World in Houghton, North Wind Books in Hancock or the Einerlei in Chassell.

Editor's Notes: To learn how warmer winters are affecting wildlife on Isle Royale, see the second article in Katie Alvord's recent Keweenaw Now series on climate change: "Lake Superior Basin feeling heat: Part 2." The author of this article, Julie Nordstrom, grew up in the Copper Country and enjoys the outdoors and running. She graduated from Michigan Tech University this spring with a bachelor's degree in Scientific and Technical Communication.