Woodland caribou restoration at Isle Royale National Park: A feasibility study
Cochrane JF. 1996. Woodland caribou restoration at Isle Royale National Park: A feasibility study. Technical Report NPS/NRISRO/NRTR/96-03. National Park Service, Natural Resource Program Center, Natural Resource Information Division. Denver
Woodland caribou roamed over Isle Royale for more than 3,500 years until they disappeared around 1928. Overhunting throughout the Lake Superior region in the 19th century, including on Isle Royale, initiated the species' decline. The caribou's regional extirpation has also been linked to the northward expansion of white-tailed deer and the increase in moose and wolf numbers that followed forest clearing by Euro-American settlers. This report attempts to evaluate the caribou's natural history on the island and the reasons for it's extirpation. Interest in restoring woodland caribou to Isle Royale National Park was sparked by recent caribou relocations on other Lake Superior islands in Ontario and by the marked decline in wolf numbers on Isle Royale. The feasibility of restoration is assessed.
- Type
- Published Report
- Authors
- Cochrane, Jean
- Date of Issue
- 1996-09
- Publisher
- National Park Service, Natural Resource Program Center, Natural Resource Information Division
- Units
- ISRO , WRD
- Keywords
- Caribou (Rangifer tarandus caribou), Clemson, feasibility study, Habitat Suitability, Isle Royale National Park, Michigan, Natural Resource Management, Reintroduction