Photos: Tracking Minn. moose, from the air


1 Pilot Steve Mazur readies a two-seater plane for takeoff on a moose-viewing expedition on Wednesday, Jan. 23, 2013. 
2 A collared moose cow rests just outside the boundary of Voyageurs National Park on Wednesday, Jan. 23, 2013. She is a part of National Park Service funded project, and one of about 50 moose that live in and just outside the park. The day was about -10 with 15-25 mph gusts. The cow was bedded in deciduous timber downwind of a significant stand of pine, so she had some shelter from the windchill. 
3 Lake Kabetogama and the moose country along its shores on Wednesday, Jan. 23, 2013. The airplane's pilot and crew use the antennae visible in the foreground to locate and monitor moose. One set is mounted under each wing, so they can triangulate and pin down the locations of the collared moose. 
4 The edge of a spruce bog in Voyageurs National Park, with clearly visible crisscrossed trails used by moose, deer, wolves and other animals. Temperature data from Voyageurs National Park shows there are subtle yet important differences in microclimates within the park. The data show there are thermal refuges in the park. For example, when it's hot in the summer, moose routinely use wetter habitats such as spruce bogs or mature forests to seek cooler temperatures. 
5 Biologists at Voyageurs National Park say it's a great place to study the effects of climate change on northern species like moose because no hunting or logging is allowed within the park, and the forest land hasn't been fragmented like it has outside the park. 
6 An estimated 50 moose live in or near Voyageurs National Park. Nearly all live on the Kabetogama Peninsula. Moose used to be found at the south end of the park, but researchers say it appears they no longer occupy that area. 
7 Voyageurs National Park is about 220,000 acres, but more than 90,000 acres of the park are water. 
8 There are about 600 islands in Voyageurs National Park. But the recent study shows female moose aren't using the island for calving. Researchers say that contrary to behaviors of moose in other places, the moose in Voyageurs rarely swim in the large lakes. 
9 An aerial view of the moose country in Voyageurs National Park on Wednesday, Jan. 23, 2013. 