One of the first Postings on this blog(Feb 24, 2010) featured an article by Cheryl Lyn Dybas entitled: "MINNESOTA MOOSE,,GHOSTS OF THE NORTHERN FOREST"(at end of the article below, click on link to read her article) .........As I stated in that blogpost, "We have a conundrum as it relates to our Great Lakes Moose population, once so vibrant and now in severe decline. Simultaneous to this decline is the acceleration of the Moose population in New England and New York State.........Moose have recolonized this region in ever growing numbers seemingly facing the same limiting variables that Great Lakes Moose face..........warming temperatures, debilitating Winter ticks, other ticks that spread brain disease from whitetail deer, changing habitat brought on by human sprawl, fawn predation from coyotes and black bears"..............It is true that wolves are not in New England(and of course are 3000 strong in Minn.,,,,,,,, but Minn. Dept of Ntl Resources is on record stating that while wolves do take moose fawns, the downward spiral in the Great Lakes Moose population is due to adult females not living long enough to breed consecutive generations of youngsters(Wolves not taking large numbers of adult females)............They do feel that artifical feeding of deer has to stop so as to minimize congregations of these animals, which encourage the spread of brain parasites to Moose............

Can Minnesota's moose be saved?
By Dave Orrick

Minnesota's iconic moose population - now down to about 5,000 - stands in the balance. The balance of what, no one's quite sure.Warmer weather, habitat changes, deer expansion and disease, as well as killing by people and  wolves, are all among the variables that affect, to varying extents, the brooding and drooling symbol of the northwoods

.
For the first time, this year's aerial surveys indicated a statistically significant decline - down from more than 8,000 in 2006 - in the moose population of northeastern Minnesota, including the Arrowhead region. The population in the northwestern part of the state already has collapsed, down to about 100 animals from more than 4,000 in 1986. This as the range of the moose has shriveled steadily since the 1960s, when moose could be spotted all across the northern part of the state.

A new draft plan released by the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources last week spells out not only the doom possibilities but also the practical ones: Taxpayers will need to spend money to figure it out; tourists, resortoperators, cabin owners and hunters will have to cease feeding deer; and hunters might have to give up moose hunts.In fact, according to the Minnesota Moose Research and Management Plan, moose hunting will close in 2013 if things don't change. The plan, which is open for public comment but mostly destined to become official policy, proposes that hunting will close if any of three scenarios come to pass.

One scenario - three years in a row of surveys finding fewer than two bulls for every three cows - already became the reality with this year's survey. Lou Cornicelli, the DNR's big-game coordinator, knows that's a tough idea to stomach for the 6,000 people who apply annually for a chance at an epic moose hunt."It's a difficult one," he said. "We may not have a moose season going forward. It's not an easy answer for folks. Certainly the existence of a moose population is more important than to have a hunting season. I think we'd all agree with that. If you don't have moose, you can't hunt them."

 Hunting isn't a major killer of moose. Only bulls can be targeted, and hunters harvest a mere 2 percent of the population. Last year, 213 moose-hunting permits were issued, and this year that number is being reduced to 105. Given recent hunter-success rates, Cornicelli predicts about 50 moose will be shot and killed. Last year, it was 109.A hunting ban would not include American Indians, who are not covered by the 1854 treaty establishing hunting rights, but Cornicelli noted tribal members kill few moose - 35 last year.

The fundamental problem facing the moose herd is that adult females aren't living long enough. They're getting pregnant - although officials worry pregnancy rates might fall if the bull-to-cow ratio doesn't increase. But for now, the females are giving birth to healthy calves - but not enough of them because the females are dying too young."The most important thing in a long-lived, slow-growing population like moose is life spans of adults," Cornicelli said. "They're dying faster than they can replace themselves."No one is sure why. In the opening sentence of its report, the authors call it an "inexplicable decline."

One factor could be brainworms that are carried by white-tailed deer, which are increasing in some areas of moose habitat. The report takes issue with the controversial practice of some hunters and resort owners to feed deer in the winter, an action that concentrates deer and, according to the report, encourages the spread of disease and parasites, which can sicken moose. Thus, the report recommends banning deer feeding.

The 51-page report based its recommendations largely on the Moose Advisory Committee, which was established in 2008 as part of a mandate from the Legislature to draft the very plan the DNR is releasing. The 18 members of the committee included moose experts and interest groups such as hunters."This plan is our document with the help of 18 people who know a lot about moose," Cornicelli said.

That doesn't mean everyone will be happy with it.For example, the plan doesn't suggest any course of action with regard to wolves, which kill and eat moose. The report concludes the impact of wolf predation on adult moose is small, although it acknowledges that no one knows how significant predation of calves is

.None of it sits well with folks such as Dean Dietrich, whose extended family has lived near Isabella for generations."I just think we're being flimflammed," he said. "You've got 5,000 moose and (perhaps) 3,000 wolves? There's your answer."

Millions of additional dollars are needed for research and habitat restoration projects, according to Cornicelli.The report concludes: "As moose populations benefit all Minnesotans, it is critical that a broad source of funding be developed because without this scientific info, we may lose moose and never know why.

CLICK HERE  TO READ CHERYL LYNN DYBAS'   "MINNESOTA MOOSE: GHOSTS OF THE NORTHERN FOREST
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------