ISLE ROYALE NATIONAL PARK-- Officials with the National Parks of Lake Superior Foundation have come up with a plan to fund two projects at Isle Royale National Park—whether or not the government is open.
The relocation of up to six Canadian wolves to the island has been planned since last summer. The project is critical to reestablishing a wolf population at the park, but the partial U.S. government shutdown halted those efforts.
The Foundation is making funds available to allow the project to move forward as soon as a four-day weather window is available for the capture and transfer of wolves from Ontario. If necessary, the Foundation will place the full National Park Service cost of the project in a government account. As part of the agreement the NPS must establish a contingency fund for closure of the island after transfer and monitoring are complete.
The Foundation is also partnering with Michigan Tech. It received approval from the NPS to use additional donated funds to allow the park to stay open and monitor the status of the relocated wolves.
Officials say the agreements allow the Isle Royale projects to be “shutdown proof.”
