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By DONNA SANTI / guest columnist

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-          Donna Santi is a creative writer for LandAirSea Systems, a Woodstock, IL-based manufacturer and distributor of expertly-engineered GPS tracking systems, software and accessories. For information about LandAirSea, visit www.landairsea.com. To contact the writer, email donna.santi@landairsea.com

Animal researchers and legislators, puzzled and concerned about a 13-year decline in the moose population in Minnesota, plan to use hi-tech GPS tracking equipment to get some concrete answers.

Wildlife & GPS Tracking

The state’s Department of Natural Resources does an annual head count of the large mammals by flying over their vast range in northeastern Minnesota. The numbers are estimates, because it is difficult to type the migrating moose by age, sex and direction of travel based on a brief glimpse from the sky.  But researchers say they’ve seen an obvious pattern that cannot be denied: When compared with the moose populations in other states, Minnesota has fewer of the animals in overall number, and fewer females (cows) accompanied by calves.

The number of moose deaths, non-related to hunting, has risen, but researchers cannot pinpoint an obvious cause. It could be the result of vehicle accidents, disease or predators.

Another possibility is climate change. Moose are built for the cold. Summer temperatures in the state impact their mobility and health so they must move to marshier, forested habitats.

There are currently about 5,500 moose in the DNR research area (down from 7,600 last year). The one-year drop was significant enough for state lawmakers to take notice. A research and management committee was organized and state funds were earmarked to find out where the moose go for food, shelter and mating; and how they die. Those answers will come from GPS tracking devices.

In February, a group of 14 adult moose – both bulls and cows – were captured briefly in Voyageurs National Park and furnished with GPS tracking system collars.  GPS tracking technology has moved well beyond the obvious applications such as vehicle tracking, fleet management and prisoner monitoring. Similar GPS systems are successfully used to monitor all types of wildlife, including bears, birds, tortoise and wolves.

Since 2002, moose in Minnesota have been tracked with radio frequency tracking systems, built into collars. But traditional radio tracking collars must be removed to retrieve the data. Also they require researchers to stay within a certain range of the collars to get readings, so the project is labor-intensive.

Real-time GPS tracking collars are a newer, more reliable technology. Once the GPS tracking units are securely attached to the animals they’ll record and transmit location data every few minutes. The readings can be seen and studied from any Web-enabled electronic device, anywhere in the world, from the comfort of a home, vehicle, or research center. The high-tech moose trackers are engineered to be highly sensitive GPS receivers, so they will work in all sorts of terrain. The tracking systems have a long-life battery and are designed to come loose and fall off the animal shortly after the batteries lose their power.

Scientists have long suspected that something is causing the state’s moose to die, well short of their expected life span. Other preservation and monitoring methods failed to solve that mystery, because the animals often died deep in the woods and their bodies were never recovered.  Now researchers will be able to tell almost immediately when one of the animals dies, because the tracking data will show no movement. No matter how hidden the body is, the moose can be found by its GPS tracking coordinates. The animal can be examined and tested for cause of death.

Sources: Duluth News Tribune, Minnesota Department of Natural Resources