(WXYZ) — The Wolves & Moose of Isle Royale project is looking for volunteer moosewatchers for the 2026 season
According to officials, there will be four expeditions, each one week long, where a team of four to six will be guided through Isle Royale's wilderness searching for moose bones.
"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," organizers said on the application page.
The Wolves & Moose of Isle Royale project is the longest continuous study of a predator-prey system in the world and has been going on six decades as they study moose and wolf populations on Isle Royale.
According to organizers, the expedition is for experienced backpackers, as you will be hiking up to nearly 10 miles (16 kilometers) per day with a backpack the grows heavier with moose bones by the end of the hike.
Groups will be completely on their own and out of contact with other people, and they say you will "see Isle Royale in a way that very few other people do."
"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," the website reads.
Those interested in applying can visit the Isle Royale Wolves & Moose project website.
The moosewatch dates for 2026 are:
- May 9-17
- May 20-28
- June 2-10
- July 31 - Aug. 8
