Help us fly this Giving Tuesday!
For 66 years of winter studies of wolves and moose on Isle Royale National Park, only three pilots have piloted the survey aircraft: Don Murray, 1959-1979; Don Glaser, 1979-2020; and Don Murray, 2008-present.
The flights are always a two-person affair with the passenger seated directly behind the pilot, so both pilot and observer can see out both sides of the aircraft. During the first winter study, in 1959, Purdue University contracted with Northeast Airways in northern Minnesota to provide a ski-plane and pilot who would stay on the island for a 2-3 week rotation.
Pilot Jack Burgess was the first pilot involved, and he was replaced by Don Murray less than 10 days into the study period. Don Murray turned out to be the perfect fit for the research pilot. Dave Mech wrote (in Wolf Island, 2020), “Don was raring to go…as interested in finding wolves as I was.” In 1960 Don Murray brought his own plane and was the sole pilot, continuing for 19 more years.
Help the Wolf-Moose Foundation continue to support this important part of the Wolf-Moose Project: the Winter Study! It is a team effort, but the pilot and the plane are pivotal to the success of the wolf-moose count and continued observation of the unique and dynamic relationship between predators and prey on Isle Royale!
Would you like to explore a Legacy Donation? Does your employer match your gift?
Your donation will help fund the operations of the Foundation. Our sole focus is to create a self-sufficient endowment to support the Wolf-Moose Project through an uncertain future.
Our mission is to advance research and education that promotes the conservation of predators and their prey, especially the wolves and moose of Isle Royale. We envision a world where humans and predators flourish.