Introduction: Marching on Mott

Howdy! My name is Jeremiah Wright and this summer I’ll be working as an ecology assistant for Isle Royale National Park (ISRO). I am a second-year undergraduate student at Texas A&M University pursuing a B.S in wildlife and fisheries science with a minor in environmental soil science.

Excited would be an understatement for how I feel about the project for this summer, as I will be assisting in one of the first pollinator surveys on the island. The last data collection in terms of pollinators is the predecessor of this project, a previous study primary on a species known as the Macoun’s Arctic butterfly.

FUN FACT: In the Michigan area, these cool Lepidoptera claimed ISRO as their summer home only on even years! Isn’t that neat? (hint hint it’s 2022)

The aspect that I am incredibly ecstatic about is the impact of visitors to the park’s project with the utilization of iNaturalist. With this application, we can create an environment where all park visitors can become citizen scientists and help with data collection for these keystone species (aka they are super important to the stability of the ecosystem).

Why Isle RoyalE?

As a native Texan, I asked myself the exact same question. In the “Lone Star State” where everything is bigger, why leave? Honestly, this island speaks for itself, the bone-chilling water clear as glass, the dancing snowshoe hare, the array of ground cover that paints the forest floor akin to an oil painting, the adolescence-like excitement to find the infamous moose around the isles. Its detachment from the mainland is a perfect control for ecological surveys and is truly an environmental work of art. The people on the island are also incredible—the raw passion for conservation in their specific fields is refreshing and each conversation leaves me wanting to read and research more. I am thrilled to be spending my summer here and cannot wait to dive in head first.