Peace and Quiet at Isle Royale National Park

 

This week on our national parks journey, we explore a remote island near Michigan’s border with Canada. It sits within a huge freshwater lake. It is one of the least-visited national parks in America.

Welcome to Isle¹ Royale National Park!

Isle Royale is surrounded by the deep blue waters of Lake Superior, the largest freshwater lake on Earth by area. The park’s quiet forests and rocky shores offer a kind of solitude² and peace not found in some of the more popular national parks.

No cars or other wheeled vehicles are permitted on Isle Royale.

There are no real roads on the island. The only way to get to the park is by boat or sea plane. The National Park Service operates shuttle boats that take visitors to Isle Royale. The boats leave from two Michigan ports. A boat trip to Isle Royale takes three to five hours. Waters are often extremelyrough.

Isle Royale is the largest of the islands within the national park. It is 72 kilometers long.

The entire national park protects a total area of 230,000 hectares, including some 450 islands that surround Isle Royale. Fifty-two-thousand hectares is land. The rest is water.

Isle Royale became a national park in 1940. In 1980, officials named it an International Biosphere³ Reserve because of its unique ecosystem⁴.

Its remote location is part of what makes it among the least-visited national parks. But, once they arrive, most visitors stay a while. The average stay for visitors to Isle Royale National Park is 3.5 days. The average stay for visitors to most other national parks is just four hours.

Isle Royale offers hiking, camping, boating, and even scuba⁵ diving. The extremely cold waters of Lake Superior help keep shipwrecks⁶ in excellent condition. The National Park Service protects 11 sunken boats for divers⁷ to explore. They are reminders⁹ of Lake Superior’s commercial shipping¹⁰ history.

The sunken wooden ship called The America is one of the most popular dive sites. The America carried passengers, mail, and supplies to many towns along the shores of Lake Superior. It first launched in 1898, and was used until 1928, when it was damaged. It sank to the bottom of the lake soon after.

Today, divers can swim through the ship’s ballroom¹¹, bedrooms and engine room. Painted on the ship’s engine is an American flag. Many divers take pictures of this sight.

The Rock Harbor lighthouse is another reminder⁸ of the former shipping industry. Workers built the lighthouse in the 1850s to help guide ships safely to the island’s copper¹² mines.

The mining industry was short-lived, however. The lighthouse itself lit the way for ships for just 24 years. But, it still stands today. Inside, exhibits and information help visitors understand Isle Royale’s maritime¹³ history. A short hiking trail leads visitors to the lighthouse.

Visitors to Isle Royale share the trails with a well-studied population of moose and wolves. Both species migrated to the island sometime in the early to mid-1900s. Scientists believe that moose swam to the island. They think wolves walked there during a freeze of the lake sometime in the 1940s.

Scientists have closely studied the relationship between Isle Royale’s wolves and moose since the late 1950s. It is one of the best-studied predatory-prey¹⁴ relationships in the world. Researchers closely record their population numbers.

Much of the research takes place during the winter, when the trees are bare. The researchers fly over the island to observe the animals from above.

In early 2016, researchers from Michigan Tech University observed just two remaining wolves on Isle Royale.

The moose population, however, is growing. Scientists observed about 1,300 moose on the island this winter.

Animal research is the only winter activity going on at Isle Royale. The national park is closed each year beginning in late October because of the harsh weather conditions. It reopens in spring time the next year.

But for the other months of the year, Isle Royale offers refreshing¹⁵ lake breezes, green forests, and clear blue waters. Its stunning¹⁶ scenery and unusual solitude keep visitors returning year after year.

Words in This Story

rough - adj. not calm : having large waves, strong winds, storms, etc.

reminder - n. something that causes you to remember or to think about something

commercial - adj. related to or used in the buying and selling of goods and services

maritime - adj. of or relating to sailing on the sea or doing business (such as trading) by sea

predatory - adj. living by killing¹⁷ and eating other animals

prey - n. an animal that is hunted or killed by another animal for food

solitude - n. a state or situation in which you are alone usually because you want to be

1 isle   

n.小岛，岛

参考例句：

• He is from the Isle of Man in the Irish Sea.他来自爱尔兰海的马恩岛。
• The boat left for the paradise isle of Bali.小船驶向天堂一般的巴厘岛。

2 solitude   

n. 孤独; 独居,荒僻之地,幽静的地方

参考例句：

• People need a chance to reflect on spiritual matters in solitude. 人们需要独处的机会来反思精神上的事情。
• They searched for a place where they could live in solitude. 他们寻找一个可以过隐居生活的地方。

3 biosphere   

n.生命层，生物圈

参考例句：

• The entire biosphere was becoming more transparent.整个生物圈越来越透明。
• The impact of modern technology on the biosphere is evident worldwide.现代技术对生物圈的影响在全世界是明显的。

4 ecosystem   

n.生态系统

参考例句：

• This destroyed the ecosystem of the island.这样破坏了岛上的生态系统。
• We all have an interest in maintaining the integrity of the ecosystem.维持生态系统的完整是我们共同的利益。

5 scuba   

n.水中呼吸器

参考例句：

• I first got hooked on scuba diving when I was twelve.12岁时我开始迷上了带水中呼吸器潜水。
• While on honeymoon in Bali,she learned to scuba dive.她在巴厘岛度蜜月时学会了带水肺潜水。

6 shipwrecks   

海难，船只失事( shipwreck的名词复数 )； 沉船

参考例句：

• Shipwrecks are apropos of nothing. 船只失事总是来得出人意料。
• There are many shipwrecks in these waters. 在这些海域多海难事件。

7 divers   

adj.不同的；种种的

参考例句：

• He chose divers of them,who were asked to accompany him.他选择他们当中的几个人，要他们和他作伴。
• Two divers work together while a standby diver remains on the surface.两名潜水员协同工作，同时有一名候补潜水员留在水面上。

8 reminder   

n.提醒物，纪念品；暗示，提示

参考例句：

• I have had another reminder from the library.我又收到图书馆的催还单。
• It always took a final reminder to get her to pay her share of the rent.总是得发给她一份最后催缴通知，她才付应该交的房租。

9 reminders   

n.令人回忆起…的东西( reminder的名词复数 )；提醒…的东西；（告知该做某事的）通知单；提示信

参考例句：

• The film evokes chilling reminders of the war. 这部电影使人们回忆起战争的可怕场景。
• The strike has delayed the mailing of tax reminders. 罢工耽搁了催税单的投寄。

10 shipping   

n.船运（发货，运输，乘船）

参考例句：

• We struck a bargain with an American shipping firm.我们和一家美国船运公司谈成了一笔生意。
• There's a shipping charge of ￡5 added to the price.价格之外另加五英镑运输费。

11 ballroom   

n.舞厅

参考例句：

• The boss of the ballroom excused them the fee.舞厅老板给他们免费。
• I go ballroom dancing twice a week.我一个星期跳两次交际舞。

12 copper   

n.铜；铜币；铜器；adj.铜(制)的；(紫)铜色的

参考例句：

• The students are asked to prove the purity of copper.要求学生们检验铜的纯度。
• Copper is a good medium for the conduction of heat and electricity.铜是热和电的良导体。

13 maritime   

adj.海的，海事的，航海的，近海的，沿海的

参考例句：

• Many maritime people are fishermen.许多居于海滨的人是渔夫。
• The temperature change in winter is less in maritime areas.冬季沿海的温差较小。

14 prey   

n.被掠食者，牺牲者，掠食；v.捕食，掠夺，折磨

参考例句：

• Stronger animals prey on weaker ones.弱肉强食。
• The lion was hunting for its prey.狮子在寻找猎物。

15 refreshing   

adj.使精神振作的，使人清爽的，使人喜欢的

参考例句：

• I find it'so refreshing to work with young people in this department.我发现和这一部门的青年一起工作令人精神振奋。
• The water was cold and wonderfully refreshing.水很涼，特别解乏提神。

16 stunning   

adj.极好的；使人晕倒的

参考例句：

• His plays are distinguished only by their stunning mediocrity.他的戏剧与众不同之处就是平凡得出奇。
• The finished effect was absolutely stunning.完工后的效果非常美。

17 killing   

n.巨额利润；突然赚大钱，发大财

参考例句：

• Investors are set to make a killing from the sell-off.投资者准备清仓以便大赚一笔。
• Last week my brother made a killing on Wall Street.上个周我兄弟在华尔街赚了一大笔。