(Photo provided by National Park Service) A bull moose with velvet antlers has his mouth outstretched to reach a leaf at Isle Royale National Park. The Michigan House of Representatives passed a resolution in January asking the National Park Service to allow a lottery hunt to cull moose, which now number more than 2,000 on the island.

HOUGHTON — With the moose population at Isle Royale approaching historical highs, the Michigan House of Representatives is asking the National Park Service to allow a moose tag lottery hunt on the island.

Rep. Steven Johnson, R-Wyland, who sponsored the bill, said it would both benefit the Isle Royale ecosystem and provide a “once-in-a-lifetime experience” for hunters.

“Isle Royale’s a special place to me,” said Johnson, who sponsored the resolution along with Reps. John Chirkun, D-Roseville; Greg Markkanen, R-Hancock; David LaGrand, D-Grand Rapids; and Beau LaFave, R-Iron Mountain. “It’s the first place I ever went backpacking. It’s truly a treasure for this state. It’s something we want to be sure we protect.”

The most recent iteration of Michigan Technological University’s annual wolf-moose survey on the island estimated there were more than 2,060 moose on the island.

The birth rate of moose had slowed, researchers found, which can be an early sign of food stress. The over-browsing of plants such as balsam fir could lead to a rapid decline, researchers have said. In the 1990s, lack of food coupled with severe winters cut the moose population from around 2,400 to 500 within a few years.

Isle Royale’s apex predator, wolves, had dwindled to two close relatives, who could not produce a viable offspring. In response, in 2018 the park initiated a recovery plan, bringing 20 to 30 Great Lakes wolves to the island over three to five years. After the second year, there are 15 wolves on Isle Royale – eight males and seven females.

The remaining wolf born on the island is joined by 10 from Canada, three from the Upper Peninsula and one from Minnesota.

The new arrivals have already taken out some moose. A summer predation study by park staff and researchers from the State University of New York (SUNY), found remains of 60 prey animals, mostly moose.

“That’s a good indication that they have been doing what wolves will do on the island,” said Liz Valencia, acting superintendent at Isle Royale.

Johnson thought the new wolves would not be enough to manage the moose population in time. He pointed to two wolves, including a 10-year-old male born on the island, killed by other wolves last fall.

“My resolution isn’t a pro-wolf or anti-wolf argument,” he said. “You can do it simultaneously as they get the wolf pack established.”

As part of the 2018 environmental impact study leading to the introduction of new wolves, the NPS explored several alternatives. Those included a moose hunt, which residents had suggested during public hearings. Statutory law does not allow a hunt on Isle Royale.

The NPS also identified other obstacles, including logistics, increased staffing requirements, removal of carcasses from the landscape, and the impacts to wilderness character.

Valencia said as of now, the park does not intend to revisit the issue. This spring, researchers will watch closely are new pups, as well as pack formation. That could help the wolves take down moose more efficiently, Valencia said.

“Right now, we have to let it play out, and the researchers have to do their research, and then we’ll see,” she said.

In letters to the House Natural Resources and Outdoor Recreation Committee, the Michigan United Conservation Clubs backed a hunt.

“Our members believe that culling of the moose population is an effective method of wildlife management that utilizes hunters that are available and ready to participate,” MUCC Executive Director Amy Trotter said in the statement.

Filing briefs opposing the hunt were the state Humane Society, Attorneys for Animals, and National Parks Conservation Association.

Hunters would likely pursue larger, fit moose, while wolves cull the weakest of the herd, said Humane Society Director Molly Tamulevich. It would also disrupt the decades-long moose-wolf study, she said

“Isle Royale provides a unique opportunity for study, as it is isolated from mainland populations and is home to a small number of mammal species, providing for a simpler system that is easier to monitor and understand,” she said.

Copies of the resolution were sent to the director of the National Park Service, Michigan’s Congressional delegation, the director of the Department of Natural Resources and Gov. Gretchen Whitmer.