October Monthly Meeting

“Are Minnesota Moose Another Victim of Climate Change?”

by Mark S. Lenarz, Research Biologist, Minnesota DNR

Minnesota’s moose population has essentially been extirpated from northwestern Minnesota, and moose numbers in the northeastern region of the state are in decline.

Mark Lenarz is asking important questions, such as whether there is a relationship between warming temperatures and the decline in the moose populations. His work suggests there is such a relationship.

Lenarz, who earned his doctorate at the University of Georgia’s Institute of Ecology, has been studying Minnesota’s moose for several decades He developed a partnership between the Department of Natural Resources, the Fond du Lac band, and various other groups to conduct research that documented the declines. He is the author on numerous articles and reports on his work with the moose.

Lenarz knows that a warmer climate will have a dramatic impact on the state’s flora and fauna, and says that better understanding of climate change will lead to better resource management decisions

Everyone is invited to this free Saint Paul Audubon program on Thursday, October 13 at 7:00 p.m. at Fairview Community Center, 1910 West County Road B in Roseville, just west of Fairview Avenue. The event is open to the public, with free parking. A social time with refreshments begins at 6:45.