QEII MOOSE SPECIES SUMMARY:
Examining the Natural and Cultural Significance of the Eastern Moose (Alces alces americana) in Queen Elizabeth II Wildlands Provincial Park

QEII MOOSE SPECIES SUMMARY:
Examining the Natural and Cultural Significance of the Eastern Moose (Alces alces americana) in Queen Elizabeth II Wildlands Provincial Park

Jazlyn Burrell & Sarah Wray

Ontario Parks, Phil Careless

Peter Lafleur, Trent School of the Environment

#4900

2020

online

Haliburton County

Wildlife Biology
Environmental Science/Studies

The purpose of this project is to provide an overview of the role of moose in QEII and insights into best management practices. Queen Elizabeth II Wildlands Provincial Park in a non-operating park in South-Central Ontario and falls within two wildlife management unit (WMU). The 33,505-hectare park is mostly with WMU 56, with the northwestern portion of the park being in WMU 53. The park is a mixed wood ecozone and is used for canoeing, hiking, and backcountry camping. The eastern moose plays an important role within this ecosystem as food for large predators, by contributing to nutrient cycling, and as natural vegetation control. They also have cultural significance, especially for the 30 Indigenous communities in the area.
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The range of eastern moose includes eastern Canada and the northeastern United States. In Ontario, they can be found in northern and central Ontario. Their habitat requirements include areas for foraging, travelling, and for shelter and calving. For their diet they need year-round access to both evergreen and deciduous trees, as well as to aquatic ecosystems such as lakes, rivers, and wetlands in the warmer months. Moose populations in the area have been in decline since the 1990s. The primary factors in moose mortality are climate change, parasites, vehicle collisions, habitat loss, and hunting. Management opportunities include remote sensing, evaluating the need for rut season closures and/or buffers around critical habitat features, opportunities for co-management with local Indigenous communities, and exploring adaptive measure to reduce the climate vulnerability of the eastern moose.