Isle Royale’s Old Gray Guy: How One Wolf Impacted an Entire Ecosystem
![The alpha wolf of Isle Royale for several years, the Old Gray Guy is third from left in a pack of six wolves in this image capture taken by a researcher Isle Royale in winter.](/unscripted/2023/08/images/old-grey-guy-isleroyale-alpha-wolf-banner1024.jpg)
In 1997, one new wolf’s arrival via ice bridge changed everything.
On the heels of co-authoring a study in Science Advances, Isle Royale wolf-moose study co-leader Sarah Hoy (CFRES) explains how one male wolf, nicknamed "The Old Gray Guy," triggered a series of knock-on events that impacted the national park’s forested ecosystem for decades.
The Old Gray Guy's legacy has implications on the future of increasingly fragmented and remote ecosystems around the world. Read more about the wolf's long-lasting impact on Michigan Tech's Unscripted Research Blog.