Midwest
Wolf population on remote island on Lake Superior remain stable while moose numbers decline
Researchers forced to cut short an annual survey of wildlife on a remote Lake Superior island this winter due to unusually warm weather announced Tuesday that they managed to gather data that shows the wolf population is stable.
Isle Royale is a 134,000-acre island situated in far western Lake Superior between Grand Marais, Minnesota, and Thunder Bay, Canada. The park is a wildlife biologist’s dream, offering a rare opportunity to observe wolves and moose acting naturally without human influence.
Scientists have conducted an annual survey of the island’s wolves and moose since 1958. It’s been going on every year except for 2021, when the pandemic forced researchers to cancel.
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Researchers typically conduct aerial surveys of the island to develop population estimates and observe animal behavior. The island doesn’t have a landing strip so the scientists use skiplanes that can land on the ice surrounding it.
A wildlife survey on a remote Lake Superior island shows that the wolf population is stable, but the moose have declined nearly 60% in the last 4 years. Photographed: National Park Service photographed a 4-year-old female gray wolf emerging from her cage as she is released at Isle Royale National Park in Michigan. (National Park Service via AP, File)
A team led by Michigan Tech University researchers was two weeks into this year’s seven-week survey in January when unusually warm temperatures left the ice around the island unsafe for their planes to land. They were forced to evacuate the island and could not return.
Data the team gathered before they left shows the wolf population stands at 30 animals, down from 31 animals last year but up from 28 in the winter of 2022. The scientists said they believe the wolves have divided themselves into four packs, with one pack numbering at least 13 wolves. At least one wolf appeared to be living alone.
The moose population, meanwhile, stood at 840, down 14% from last year. Overall, the moose population has declined by almost 60% since 2019, when the population peaked at a little more than 2,000 animals.
In past years, most moose died from starvation, the scientists said. Moose can eat up to 40 pounds of vegetation daily and with low wolf numbers, the population grew unchecked and the creatures ate themselves out of food. But this year’s decline is likely linked to wolf predation, they said.
And fewer moose are having calves, the team said. Less than 6% of the moose the researchers observed this winter were calves. That’s higher than last year’s estimate of 2%, but still far below the long-term average of 13%.
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LINCOLN, Neb. (KOLN) – Like his father, Zack Erstad is a Husker. Erstad, the son of Hall of Fame baseball player Darin Erstad, joined the Nebraska men’s golf program on Tuesday.
Zack signed with the Huskers one month after winning a state championship at Lincoln East. With the Spartans, Erstad was a two-time NSAA champion. He was Class A’s individual runner-up in 2026. The previous year, Erstad claimed the Nebraska Junior PGA Championship title.
Erstad said joining the Huskers is a dream come true. The Nebraska newcomer grew up playing baseball and hockey. However, he focused solely on golf while in high school.
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BISMARCK, N.D. (KFYR) – Rounds of severe thunderstorms impacted many parts of North Dakota in June.
June 3 saw damaging straight-line winds in Rolette County, estimated up to 95 mph based on the damage observed.
June 7 brought two tornadoes to northern North Dakota, one of which caused damage to a property. The complexes of storms that Sunday evening also caused extensive wind damage, with 80-100 mph gusts estimated in many towns.
June 9 delivered more damaging wind, especially to the town of Sawyer, where lots of trees were knocked down. 90 mph winds were estimated there, as well as in rural northwest McHenry County at a property that sustained damage.
- Storm cleanup underway in Sawyer as questions raised over warning siren
- Sawyer declares wind emergency as storm cleanup continues
After a break from widespread severe thunderstorms in the middle of the month, the final weekend of June brought more activity.
A tornado touched down north of Belfield on June 27, doing damage to a property. Meanwhile, another swath of damaging winds moved across the region, with western ND seeing the worst of it. Damage west of Williston was estimated to be caused by near 100 mph winds.
- NWS completes surveys of tornado & t-storm wind damage from the weekend
- Severe weather causes damage, displaces residents in Williston area
June 28 also saw a tornado touch down near Riverdale and Coleharbor amid another severe weather outbreak, bringing the month’s tornado total to five.
Hail was also a common threat during the month, with June 29 delivering large hail to towns like Mandan, north Bismarck, and Max.
Copyright 2026 KFYR. All rights reserved.
Authorities arrested four adults on felony child endangerment charges after discovering 16 children in dire need of medical treatment Tuesday in a rural southern Ohio home.
The Ohio Bureau of Investigation and local sheriff’s department searched a home in the small village of Hamden, where they found the kids in what officials called “deplorable” conditions.”
“Conditions you cannot even imagine people being in, let alone children being in,” Ohio Attorney General Andy Wilson said at a news conference.
Law enforcement arrested Gary Siders Jr., Gary Siders Sr., Christina Siders and Elizabeth Siders. They have not yet been arraigned and assigned public defenders.
Vinton County prosecuting attorney William Archer said they were being charged with second-degree felony child endangering because it involves “serious physical harm.”
Officials did not confirm if the children were related but said it was not a human trafficking situation. They said the adults were not locals and appeared to have been traveling.
Hamden has a population of less than 1,000 people and is about 60 miles southeast of Columbus.
The children ranged from ages 1.5 to 18 and included both boys and girls, officials said. Several were in serious conditions when found, and two had to be flown to level one trauma centers because of their injuries.
Wilson said it was the worst scene he had ever encountered in his entire career, describing what he saw as “pure evil.”
Law enforcement were also executing a secondary search warrant at the home Tuesday, and the investigation is ongoing. The four adults will appear in court Wednesday morning.
“Justice will be served for these children,” Wilson said.
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