Grand Portage is in the far northeast of modern Minnesota and the Grand Portage band has a historic tie to Minong or Isle Royale, home of the famous Moose-Wolf study (Grand Portage, 2014). The Tribe also conducts studies of Ma’iingan and Mooz (Moose) on the reservation (Grand Portage, 2014). Anishinaabeg hunted on Minong and traveled to the island from the mainland by canoe or dogsled (Grand Portage, 2014).
The Ma’iingan of Minong were down to two individuals in 2016 and the National Park Service opened the future of wolves on the island up for public comment. Many Anishinaabe bands submitted comments. Here is an expert from Grand Portage’s letter:
“The Grand Portage Band observes a cultural value that allows for natural cycles of predators and prey and the cultural philosophy of management only when necessary. Thus, we urge non-interventionist policy for management of wildlife on Isle Royale National Park and feel that upholding the Park principle of maintaining unmanaged wilderness is most appropriate, as indicated in Option D of the Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS). Predator stocking to artificially maintain the recent moose/wolf dynamic seems contrary to National Park Service and Grand Portage Band of Chippewa philosophy and policy. Furthermore, the Band has concern that current public perception of wolves on Isle Royale has been shaped by how the studies were conducted and publicized, rather than the merit of letting the ecological and evolutionary process evolve naturally.
“Wolves have only been on island since 1949, but the Grand Portage tribal culture and the history of natural introductions and extinctions on the island are much older. Grand Portage Indians harvested fish and caribou from the Island. It is curious that the more recent dynamic of wolves and moose are discussed to be perpetuated, but the question arises of how that choice is made. One could easily ask why are not woodland caribou or other species that have ebbed and flowed to and from the island being considered for reintroduction.”
In the end, the National Park Service decided to move forward with the reintroduction of Ma’iingan to Minong. Grand Portage assisted with the introduction of two new wolves to the island on September 26, 2018 (Isle Royale National Park, 2018).
Works Cited
Grand Portage National Monument; Isle Royale National Park. (2014, February 26). Ma’iingan Wolf Tells a Grand Portage Story [Press release]. Retrieved April 20, 2019, from https://www.nps.gov/grpo/learn/news/maiingan-wolf-tells-a-grand-portage-story.htm
Isle Royale National Park. (2018, September 27). Isle Royale National Park and Partners Release two Wolves on the Island[Press release]. Retrieved April 20, 2019, from https://www.nps.gov/isro/learn/news/isle-royale-national-park-and-partners-release-two-wolves-on-the-island.htm
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