Minnesota
Minnesota’s moose population officially stands at 3,470, down from 8,840 in 2006
ELY, Minn. — Every year, biologists take flight to count moose in Minnesota, and now they’ve released their latest figures. The Minnesota moose population has stayed relatively stable at 3,470 in 2024. But that’s a far cry from where it stood less than two decades ago.
The figures from 2006 showed a robust population of 8,840 moose.
“Somewhere between 2009 and 2013 we cut our population in half. So we’ve been hovering around that 3,000 to 4,000 mark for quite some time,” said DNR Moose Survey Coordinator Nancy Hansen.
READ MORE: Moose spotted in southern Minnesota, hundreds of miles from natural habitat
The state’s moose are largely clustered in the Arrowhead region. They tend to stay within the Boundary Waters Canoe Area and areas inland from the North Shore of Lake Superior.
“We’re hoping we can at least maintain our population that we have and not drop any further,” said Hansen.
To do that, Hansen says we need to build more moose habitat, something that is currently in the works with larger projects to turn up to 50,000 acres at a time back into moose havens.
Despite the relatively stable results, DNR researchers say moose are at risk when you consider long-term trends like climate change, parasites and predation.
And even though pregnancy rates are strong, calf survival continues to be an issue.
“Calf survival is really critical to growing the population,” said Hansen.
It’s something many hope can happen if experts strategically intervene.
Less snow also means better tick survival rates. They can swarm moose by the tens of thousands. The blood loss, with other factors, can be deadly or at least make it harder to produce viable calves.
WCCO found a stretch of the Superior National Forest that was scorched by the Greenwood Fire in 2021. It didn’t look very picturesque to the news crew on the ground, but to a moose, it’s an ideal setting for grazing. They prefer new growth and the vegetation that grows right after wildfires, logging or severe weather blowdowns.
Despite the threat we all face in this warming climate, the work will continue to hold on to the natural wonders we’re lucky to have and to build a new future where our largest wild animal thrives.
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Vice President JD Vance said he stands with ICE agents after the fatal shooting of a woman at a protest in Minnesota.
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I’ll have a sniff and a slice
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Roll out the red carpets and chill the champagne: Hollywood’s race for the Oscars kicked off Jan. 4 with the Critics Choice Awards in Santa Monica, California, where “Sinners” and “Frankenstein” led the field with four wins each. “One Battle After Another” won best picture; for best actor and actress, Timothée Chalamet of “Marty Supreme” and Jessie Buckley of “Hamnet” took home the trophies. Next up on the watch list: the 83rd Golden Globes on Sunday, Jan. 11. Hollywood’s biggest night, the Academy Awards, comes March 15.
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Protests against U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) are continuing across the Triangle this week, fueled by anger and fear after a woman was shot and killed during an immigration enforcement operation Wednesday in Minnesota.
Adali Abeldanez, owner of Moroleon Supermarket in Durham, said fear is impacting daily life and local businesses, including his own.
“People are still stressed and worried,” he said.
Abeldanez said he has seen a noticeable change in customer behavior since ICE operations intensified. While his store has offered delivery services for years, he noticed requests surged in November, when ICE was in the state, and have remained high.
“That uptick in delivery – do you believe that’s directly tied to people’s fear about ICE?” WRAL asked Abeldanez.
“Oh yeah, for sure,” he said.
He said some store clients are afraid to leave their homes and are relying on organized deliveries instead. Abeldanez said his wife is undocumented and frightened, a feeling he said is widely shared in the immigrant community.
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Abeldanez believes ICE agents need more training and greater accountability.
“They’re dealing with people — human beings. It’s life,” he said. “The law should be enforced, but obviously with due process and taking into consideration humanity, being humane.”
He also criticized what he described as racial profiling; he said agents approach people in public spaces based on appearance rather than targeted investigations.
“They should have some kind of plan to know where to go, who to look for, and not just randomly pick people,” Abeldanez said.
Despite his concerns, Abeldanez said he felt encouraged by this week’s protests, as long as they remain peaceful.
“As long as it’s something peaceful, I feel proud,” he said. “Seeing people protest in favor of protecting the immigrant community — I think that’s awesome.”
But while both sides believe peaceful protesting is important, the divide is regarding ICE’s actions.
Matt Mercer, communications director for the North Carolina Republican Party, said the Minnesota shooting involved an agent acting in self-defense, citing video evidence and injuries the agent sustained.
“There’s a human element where someone loses their life, which you never want to see,” Mercer said. “But the video speaks for itself.”
Mercer said recent confrontations with ICE agents are not peaceful protests but attempts to obstruct federal law enforcement.
“If you wish to protest, do that in ways you can traditionally protest,” Mercer said. “Surrounding agents, obstructing vehicles or creating chaos is not legitimate protest.”
The Minnesota incident remains under investigation. Meanwhile, protests in the Triangle are expected to continue, including one Friday night in Durham.
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