Along the Shore

Many animal species will leave their young unattended for long periods of time. | BRITTNEY YOHANNES

Respecting wildlife’s boundaries

By Jon R. Remus

Although it’s with heartfelt human compassion to be drawn towards the sight of a lone deer fawn, bear cub or moose calf; the opposite holds true from the wildlife’s perspective. Assuming that a young animal has been abandoned is rarely the actual case. Many animal species will leave their young unattended for long periods of time.

For example, a doe will not stand over its fawn and advertise its location—rather, it stays in the outlying vicinity to draw the attention of all would-be predators away from the fawn. Since a fawn is born without scent, its main survival strategy is to keep motionless and silent until the doe returns, several hours or days later.

“Before moving an animal, always call us first to triage its condition,” says Brittney Yohannes, communications director at Wildlife Rehabilitation Center of Minnesota in Roseville. During a fawn’s initial four to six weeks of life, it’s “parked” by its mother, meaning it stays in one spot. If you come across this, give it distance and especially keep your dog away from causing it any undue stress.

A healthy fawn should be in a curled-up position with its ears upright and slightly trembling. If it is stretched out or laying on its side and the ears are wilted, then it’s dehydrated and needs urgent care.

Contact the DNR or a wildlife rehabilitation group if you think an animal does require assistance.

| BRITTNEY YOHANNES

The Wildlife Rehabilitation Center of Minnesota requires the animal to be from the central or southern part of the state. “Because of chronic wasting disease, we don’t want to relocate animals from long distances and risk an outbreak into a healthy herd,” says Yohannes. To reach out to the facility, visit: wrcmn.org.

Servicing the northern region is Wildwoods Wildlife Rehabilitation Center of Duluth (wildwoodsrehab.org). Nursery manager Valerie Slocum advises, “don’t remove newborns” as the mother will likely return. However, if a fawn is bawling, wandering aimlessly, injured, or sprawled out and covered in flies, then it needs quick intervention.

When it comes to black bears, a mother will usher her cubs up a large “sanctuary tree” to act as a babysitter, while she seeks new food sources. At times, a mischievous cub will climb down, giving the appearance of being alone, when it’s just awaiting the return of the sow.

An example of unintentional interference occurred on August 14, 2015. A bear cub was spotted up a tree in downtown Grand Marais and was soon surrounded by hundreds of fascinated onlookers. Despite the best efforts of the sheriff’s department and DNR, several capture attempts failed to wrangle in the cub for rehabilitation. The overcrowded streets made the chase very one-sided for the agile youngster. Sadly, the panicked cub retreated into Lake Superior, where it eventually succumbed to exhaustion. According to Sheriff Pat Eliasen, had people left the cub alone, it might have survived.

According to Dr. Lynn Rogers, founder and principal biologist of the North American Bear Center in Ely (bear.org), a first-year cub can probably survive on its own at seven months. Prior to that, it’s mostly reliant on its mother’s milk. A young bear entering its second year is much more independent and will be chased away as the sow resumes its breeding cycle.

Moose calves rarely leave their mother’s side. For days after birth in early May, they are unable to flee on wobbly legs, so they lay still. On the rare occasion that their mother is killed by a vehicle, for example, the calf will need assistance. Moose do not accept human food and will usually run shortly after seeing a vehicle pull over to the side of the road. They frequent the ditches in spring to eat new growth and mud laden with rich minerals.

When it comes to encountering wildlife, keep your distance—most wildlife needs a much larger “bubble” than people.

| JON R. REMUS

When it comes to encountering wildlife, here are the recommended guidelines to follow:

• Keep your distance—most wildlife needs a much larger “bubble” than people.

• Don’t touch, feed or capture the animal without permission from the DNR or a wildlife rehabilitation group.

• If a panicked animal is caught in a fence or has fallen into a hole, then a quick helping hand and gentle release is okay, if it is safe to do so. Contrary to popular belief, the rescued animal will rejoin its worried parent, regardless of the human scent applied to it.

• Stay alert if you are in close contact with an animal, as critters may kick, bite, scratch or transfer ticks. Use caution.

• The best course of action in critically injured animals is to let nature take its course, or have the authorities euthanize the animal.

The Minnesota DNR pre-recorded statement is “never assume a young animal is abandoned. Its unlawful for a citizen to take a wild animal home and rehabilitate it without a rehab license or permit.” Their credo is, “If you care, leave it there.” For more info, visit: bit.ly/orphanedwildlifemndnr.

The Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry states that people that find bear cubs or encounter aggressive bears should call Bear Wise (1-866-514-2327) or your local district office. For more information on dealing with sick, injured or abandoned wildlife in Ontario, visit: ontario.ca/ mnrf.

2023 North American Moose Conference

By Eric Weicht

GRAND PORTAGE—For the second time in its 55-year history, this year’s annual North American Moose Conference and Workshop (NAMCW) is set to take place in Grand Portage during the week of May 22-26.

The NAMCW is hosted in a different location each year, and was last held in Grand Portage back in 1999. The conference is an opportunity for experts in the field to come together to discuss, share, and collaborate on all-things moose—the world’s largest extant (i.e. non-extinct) species in the deer family and a symbol of boreal forests across the planet.

“As you can imagine,” says Steve Windels, a wildlife biologist at Voyageurs National Park and one of two co-directors for this year’s conference, “moose make up a very focused part of wildlife biology.”

“Moose’ range is circumboreal,” continues Windels, “meaning its territory spans boreal forests across North America, Europe, and Asia, so we typically get a mix of professionals at these events; both national and international ‘moose enthusiasts’ from anywhere that there are moose.”

The 2023 conference is being hosted by the Grand Portage Band of Lake Superior Chippewa at the Grand Portage Lodge and Casino. Seth Moore—the Director of Biology and Environment with the Grand Portage Band of Lake Superior Chippewa—is co-directing the event with Windels, serving as the conference’s “local” director/organizer.

Events at this year’s conference include a day and a half of technical presentations, a workshop on “Indigenous Co-Stewardship and Co-Management of Moose and Other Wildlife,” a fullday field trip to Grand Portage Band wildlife research field sites, and a tour of the Grand Portage National Monument.

There is also an optional pre-conference day trip out to Isle Royale that can be registered for separately on the conference’s website.

According to Windels, they are expecting a number of international attendees from Canada to participate at the conference, with the possibility of “scientists and managers from parts of Scandinavia” taking part in the event as well. Past conferences, specifically those held in Alaska, have included attendees from as far afield as Mongolia and Russia.

This year’s NAMCW is May 22-26 in Grand Portage.

| ROY REA

“There is no organizing body coordinating the conference each year,” says Windels, “no nonprofit or for-profit organization driving this effort, which is part of what makes this event unique.”

“It’s really just a group of passionate people,” continues Windels, “coming together to share and learn about moose, carrying on a tradition of collaboration that started in the 1960s.”

The first North American Moose Conference took place in St. Paul in 1963. The conference came about as a result of the combined effort of Pat Karns and Al Elsey—well known wildlife biologists and conservationists for the Minnesota DNR and Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources, respectively.

According to an article in alcesjournal. org written by Vince Chricton entitled The Founders: A Tribute to Pat Karns and Al Elsey, the NAMCW “spawned” from a series of phone calls between the two prominent moose experts.

Elsey was a big proponent of interagency cooperation, and took initiative to set up the initial meeting with Karns across the border. After the success of the first conference in 1963, Elsey, according to Chricton, went so far as to grant Karns a free Ontario moose hunting license to “ensure Pat’s continued interest and participation” in future conferences.

The topics covered in those initial conferences—moose population counting/estimating, the impacts of hunting, and the effects of “brainworm”—are still relevant to moose conservation today. And, as the results from the most recent Minnesota DNR aerial population survey have made clear, there is still a lot that needs to be done in order to maintain moose populations.

According to a study released by the Minnesota DNR on April 6, Minnesota’s moose population is estimated at 3,290, down from 4,700 the year prior.

That being said, the DNR argues that despite a 30 percent drop, Minnesota’s moose population “continues to reflect the population stability observed in previous years.” According to the DNR’s recent release, Minnesota’s moose population appears to have stabilized at about 3,700 animals since 2013, with annual changes reflecting relatively small and random year-toyear fluctuations in the population.

More info on the NAMCW can be found at: mooseconference2023. com.

Canadian Photographer of the Year in Atikokan

By Elle Andra-Warner

ATIKOKAN—Alan Poelman from Atikokan, Ontario has been awarded the prestigious title of “Canadian Photographer of the Year 2022” and the grand prize of $5,000 by Canadian Geographic, the magazine of the Royal Canadian Geographic Society. One of his submitted images—a lynx staring straight at the camera—has caught national media attention.

More than 6,400 photography entries were submitted from which 12 images were selected as the best in four categories: Epic Landscapes, Wildlife in Action, City Life and Weather, Seasons and Sky. This year’s judges were the magazine’s editorial and design staff, Canadian Geographic photographer-in-residence Scott Forsyth, wildlife photographer Mark Raycroft and Weather Network’s Kim MacDonald.

Photographer Alan Poelman.

| ALAN POELMAN

According to Canadian Geographic, the title of Canadian Photographer of the Year 2022 was to be awarded to a single photographer for outstanding work submitted in any category in the competition who has submitted at least three images in the competition. Judges look for a photographer who demonstrates all-around excellence in their craft.

In a Canadian Geographic news release, editor-in-chief Alexandra Pope wrote “Great photography comes down to a combination of location, timing and skill. Each of the winning images tells a compelling story and is a testament to the talent and passion of our photographic community.”

In an email, Poelman wrote, “This was the first photo competition I’ve ever entered actually. There were multiple photos that I entered and the competition was gauged on all of them, not just the lynx photo.”

For his lynx image, he used a Sony a9ii with a 200-600 mm lens. “The lynx was encountered during a spring time cruise down the backroads of Atikokan. It leaped across the road and laid nicely in the cedar trees as I took pictures of it for some time. The lynx was just an amazing encounter—not typical.”

According to Poelman, this was his first photo competition.

| ALAN POELMAN

Poelman, who is a therapist/manager at the Atikokan General Hospital, has been doing photography for several years as a hobby, and a means to unwind and be present. He began to take photography more seriously while attending Algoma University and has spent hours practicing with the camera and watching YouTube tutorials. Today, his images have been used across Canada, including tourism boards in Ontario, Manitoba, and Saskatchewan.

While his wildlife and landscape photos have brought Poelman national recognition, he actually likes taking images of urban environments. “I think it is because I don’t often get to photograph city life that makes it appealing to me. Something fun and different.”

When I asked about his creative process, Poelman told me, “I’m not too sure really. I spend hours editing down to the slightest detail, but try to make the images as natural and vibrant as I possibly can—it’s a process that often gets overlooked.”

His advice for beginning photographers? “The biggest tip I could give is to be analytical. Find photos that you like and try to dissect what makes them good, then use your own techniques/style and combine what you’ve learned to put into practice.”