"Northern Exposure" in Real Life: Moose in Ely

Many might remember television's Northern Exposure, with its wandering moose in the opening credits. Ely has its own moose, seen earlier this week walking the streets of downtown.  The yellowish sign in the background with the arched lettering is Britton's Cafe on Chapman Street in downtown.  Photo by Amy Kireta.

Moose Brains

Today's Halloween, so here's a moose brain.  It's about the size of a grapefruit. 

While this post is a lighthearted holiday entry, the brain shown here is undergoing important scientific research that may help people better understand the moose population in Minnesota.  I helped extract this brain from a bull moose harvested up the Echo Trail near Ely, MN, earlier this month.  At the time, I was assisting the MDNR with the moose check-in and sampling station in Ely. 

Scientists know that a brain parasite fatal to moose is causing moose mortality, and that the parasite is carried by white tailed deer.  The full extent and effect of the brain parasite issue is still being researched.

Thunder Point on Knife Lake

One of the most spectacular views in the BWCA is from the top of Thunder Point on Knife Lake. We day-tripped from our camp on Fraser Lake to it today. This photo is taken from the top of Thunder Point looking southwest toward the Isle of Pines. The Isle of Pines is the former home of a local legend, Dorothy Molter.

On the way to Thunder Point, we got lucky and Peter spotted a cow moose with a newborn calf along the shore of Fraser Lake. The calf was probably less than a week and maybe less than 48 hours old.

Springtime Boundary Waters Moose

I photographed this cow moose and her calf today while paddling near Lake Four in the BWCA. As I paddled past a narrow inlet, I glimpsed what looked like an upturned tree root. I twice backpaddled against the wind to get a better look, then used my camera zoom to confirm they were moose.

As I approached, I noticed the odd-looking white on their shoulders. When I returned home, I called Tom Rusch, the DNR area wildlife manager in Tower, to ask about the white areas. He immediately recognized the issue. He says that, since about January, these moose have probably been vigorously rubbing against trees to scratch off some of the thousands of winter ticks latched onto them. The scratching tears away patches of the moose's coat and shows their white undercoat and skin.

These ticks aren't the wood ticks found on the family dog, but instead unique moose ticks that grow as large as your pinky fingernail. The ticks stress the moose and are linked to increased moose mortality, and our dwindling moose numbers. Rusch says moose ticks drop off in the spring. If they drop on snow they die. If they drop on grass they reproduce. Shorter winters may be contributing to an increase in these ticks because they drop on grass unveiled earlier by warmer springs.

About three-fourths of area moose show rubbing indicators like this now, says Rusch. However, the white patches won't last through summer. The moose are just starting to blow their coats, and their lighter summer coats will grow through and give them the stereotypical dark brown coat. I hope to get some photos of a healthy-looking bull this fall.