Welcome to “Moose Browse”

By

Adam Mortensen

Hello, and welcome to the first installment of “Moose Browse”. I’m Adam Mortensen and I serve as the moose biologist for the National Parks of Lake Superior Foundation. I work alongside partners in the Northern Moose Alliance – including the Grand Portage Band of Lake Superior Chippewa (Grand Portage), the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (MNDNR), and the 1854 Treaty Authority (1854) to better understand moose in Minnesota.

In addition to providing high quality moose research, we want to improve public engagement with the valuable research happening in this state. To do that, we’re pulling back the curtain to show you the day-to-day of studying moose. That’s where this column comes in.

“Moose Browse” offers a look behind the scenes at moose research in action. Here, we share regular updates that include descriptions of specific tasks we’re trying to complete, tales from the field, a look at the wide range of gear moose biologists use, and anything else that we think makes wildlife research exciting.

I’ll use this first post to tell you a little bit more on who I am. I grew up in southeastern Wisconsin where I developed a love for wildlife through canoe trips in northern Wisconsin and backpacking trips on Isle Royale. I completed my undergraduate degrees in wildlife ecology and management along with environmental studies at the University of Nebraska – Lincoln. After college, I worked as a field technician on projects across the United States including pronghorn in California, mountain lions in Nebraska, wolves on Isle Royale, and elk, wolves, and mountain lions in New Mexico. I then moved to Duluth to start my master’s degree at the University of Minnesota – Duluth where I investigated the landscape use and diet of fishers as they recolonize southern Minnesota.

That brings us to November of 2025 when I began this position as a moose biologist. I’m thrilled to be living and working in the Northwoods again and am eager to dive deep into the ecology of moose in Minnesota. Please join me and the rest of the Northern Moose Alliance team as we continue to learn more about moose (“mooz” in Anishninaabemowin) in Minnesota, and keep your eyes peeled for the next installment of “Moose Browse.”

About "Moose Browse" 

Updates From the Field with Moose Researcher Adam Mortensen

“Moose Browse” offers a look behind the scenes at moose research in action. Here, we share regular updates that include descriptions of specific tasks we’re trying to complete, tales from the field, a look at the wide range of gear moose biologists use, and anything else that we think makes wildlife research exciting.

About the Author

Adam Mortensen is the Moose Biologist for National Parks of Lake Superior Foundation (NPLSF). Stationed in Grand Marais, he is helping lead a five-year field study on yearling and young-adult moose, an age group critical to understanding population recovery. A Wisconsin native, Adam has worked on wolf and large-mammal studies from the deserts of northern California to the wilderness of Isle Royale. He holds degrees in Environmental Studies and Fisheries & Wildlife from the University of Nebraska–Lincoln and is completing a master’s at the University of Minnesota Duluth. His work connects rigorous science with public engagement, helping to reveal the story of Minnesota’s disappearing moose.