V- w -W -in Page 10-Friday, April 17, 1981-The Michigan Daily The Michigan Daily-Frida A summer on N. Manitou Isolated island region site of deer herd study By MAUREEN FLEMING versity in 1980 he applied to several gradu- ate schools to pursue a degree in wildlife management. P'rof. Dale McCullough at the University's School of Natural Resources wrote to Dave, asking him if he would be interested in conducting a two-summer deer management study on North Manitou Island, scheduled to be made a part of Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore. IF DAVE ACCEPTED the offer he and his wife, Jane, a registered nurse from S. Dakota, would spend two sum- mers on an uninhabited island, with Lake Michigan at their front door, gorgeous sunsets . . . a chance to really get to know each other. They also would be cut-off from civilization with no elec- tricity, mail and supply delivery would be sporadic at best. There was no laundromat on the island. Dave and Jane accepted the offer. * * * In 1922, a group of Chicago businessmen bought the 22- square mile northern Lake Michigan island from most of its residents. Over the next few years William Angell, a Michigan businessman, bought the island from the Chicagoans. All but a few acres of the island are currently managed by Angell's trusteeship, the Angell Foundation. Five does and four bucks from Pennsylvania were in- troduced to the island in 1925. In the late 30s, the Angell Foundation began an extensive winter-feeding program for the deer herd that continued until 1978. The program initially was undertaken to produce more deer for hunting by preventing them from starving to death during the win- ter. Hunting began during this time, also. Farming on the island gradually was abandoned, and alfalfa was planted for deer food in many of the open areas. Maintenance costs on the island were paid for by logging and hunting fees. The Angell Foundation has donated most of the island to private colleges and universities, such as Calvin College located in western Michigan. It still retains control of N. Manitou, but hunting and logging profits go to the in- stitutions. 'Last summer was the time to do every- thing we always put off doing.' Winter feeding ended in 1978 and the herd trimmed by "harvesting" 500 deer. That year the island was turned over to the National Parks Service for maintenance. * * * A combination of winter feeding and lack of natural predators has resulted in a deer population the island cannot support. This overpopulation is both harmful to the deer and to the island habitat. By 1967, the size of the herd was so large that 60 tons of deer food were used in the feeding program. Despite those efforts it was reported that between 1940 and 1970 6,000 N. Manitou deer were hunted and another 2,200 died of starvation. According to a 1970 report by the Michigan Department of Natural Resources, the majority of the starved deer were fawns that were found near the island's 34 feeding stations. The larger deer prevented the smaller ones from feeding, making the program ineffective for the fawns who needed the food most. BECAUSE THERE ARE more deer on the island each winter than food for deer, they soon eat all of the browse (twigs of trees and bushes) produced during the past summer. The island forests are over-browsed as a result. The only major new tree growth on N. Manitou is beech, although biologists cannot explain why deer tend to avoid this vegetation. Once the island is purchased by the National Parks Ser- vice, it will be given a wilderness designation, which means that no habitat management will be allowed except hunting. In anticipation of its takeover of N. Manitou, the Parks Service has asked the University's School of Natural Resources to come up with a "carrying capacity" (the number of healthy deer that can bersupported throughout the year) for the island. A deer management proposal also has been requested to determine how many deer should be hunted on the island each year to minimize deer loss by starvation. If the proposal is accepted the Parks Service and the Michigan Department of Natural Resources will examine the deer herd each year and make management decisions based on the information gathered through Dave's study. The Parks Service supplied the Case's last summer with living quarters, a motorcycle for island use, and a mon- thly stipend. Dave, in return, will be giving the service an estimate of herd size, the number of deer that died during the past three winters, statistics on the production and utilization of deer food, and recommendations for future management of the deer population. The Cases arrived on N. Manitou on June 3 and were to stay until October 29. They took the first few weeks to get accustomed to the island. They also planted a vegetable garden. The first day they decided to "go for a half-hour spin" to look around, Dave said. They found their way back home five hours later-cursing an inaccurate map. Dave said he found his way around fairly well after a few months. ALTHOUGH THlE PARKS Service supplied the Cases with a house and transportationrthey did not give them a working heater, electricity, or, for the first two months, hot water. Their stove, refrigerator, and-eventually-hot water ran off of bottled gas. They used Coleman and kerosene lanterns and candles for lighting. Jane said until they got the hot water heater working it took an hour-and-a-half to heat enough water for a bath. Since the island is 12.5hmiles by boat from the nearest laundromat, Jane did the laundry using a scrubboard donated by Dave's grandmother and Mexican lye soap donated by their only island neighbors, Ken and Rita Rusco. The Cases ordered food by mail, which was delivered by a ferry that ran on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays-weather permitting. Sometimes they would wait for as many as ten days to get fresh food or supplies wnen the weather was bad. Jane said they always had enough food, "but what can I make with just Bisquick?" She added that they always craved food they did not have, but the store was a little too far away to run to in those events. "We learned how not to be an everyday shopper," Jane said. The Cases changed their eating habits as a result of ABOVE: A DOE is standing in a N. Manitou forest that shows the over-browsing on the islam would be more bushy, new undergrowth. Left: This abandoned country home on the islo Cases explored last summer. last summer, switching from fresh foods to the longer- lasting dried variety, she added. The couple picked up their food, supplies, and mail from a dock five miles south of their house. The Cases would take the motorcycle down to the dock to wait for the ferry. During a fall storm, the dock blew out, forcing them to PICTURED BELOW IS the shoreline along N. Manitou. There is a symmetrical browseline along the trees bordering Lake Michigan about six feet high, or just about deer reach. They will eat all the browse underneath this point, preventing new tree growth. Right: Dave contemplates his jaw, skull, and antler collection. He is gathering these fdor his study. The age of a deer can be calculated through the skeleton of its jaw. Photos by Dave and Jane Case wait on the shore for the fer would toss out their supplie lucky to get five out of 12 eg said. The Cases were fairly sett when Jane became ill w weather was rough that da out to get her. They had to c service on a two-way radio I The Coast Guard came to took her to a hospital in Tra pretty embarrassed by the u Dave and Jane began th of their stay. To determir island, they began a seri common wildlife managem Three routes were select the island. Three times a routes by motorcycle, coun and record the age, sex, ai was seen. DURING THE EARLIE and Jane concentrated on " are about to die of starv coniferous areas for protec mapped areas where they condition and counted the n They also searched ha When they found a dead de Ages were determined by 1 there was a skeleton or par determine the sex. Other surveys were unde position of the vegetation plots and did a step-by-ste each step he marked the typ line that was marked on on important in determining island vegetation. * In their spare time, the flowers and birds. Jane s summer wildflowers last su They also spent a great d island and exploring old, a quite a bit, and Dave contin Last summer was the always put off doing," Jar other, too."