Fascinating research is being done to track gray wolf populations on the Fond du Lac reservation. At the helm: Grace Lavan, a Cloquet High School grad and current UMD student, and her mentees, Hermantown Middle Schoolers Gabriel Bradley and Eaton Matthews.

Lavan has been researching wolves since her 8th-grade year, “To boil down the research I’ve done in the past five years, it seems that wolves aren’t as influenced by humans as we thought they were.” The project used mapping software to create wolf location maps. Mike Schrage, a wildlife biologist from the Fond du Lac Resource Management Division, shared wolf and road location data with the student researcher.

Lavan was a finalist for the National Geographic Geography and Geospatial Science Award at 2024 Regeneron International Science Fair Events. The event was held in Los Angeles. She now attends UMD studying Environmental Science and ArcGis.

Students are mentored by Dr. Cynthia Welsh and William Bauer.

Bradley and Matthews researched the seasonal movement of wolves on the Fond du Lac Reservation. Their project did well at regional and state fairs.