Women in Science: Lynette Potvin

Lynette loves her job at Isle Royale.

NPS Photo

By Ariana Bulatovich

Lynette Potvin grew up in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, where she and her family spent a lot of time outside. She loved being outdoors. When she began her career as a student at the University of Michigan, she was interested in pre-law and business. Lynette’s brother was a graduate student at Michigan Tech University, and he helped her find her first job assessing vegetation at Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore. It wasn’t until she finished her freshman year and this job, that she realized pre-law wasn’t her passion.

Lynette and Dr. Rolf Peterson stand in front of the Super Cub, one of the primary aircraft used for Isle Royale's Winter Study.  Lynette was just preparing to go on a flight.

NPS Photo

While at the University of Michigan, Lynette had a number of inspirational teachers and classes which motivated her to obtain her undergraduate degree in environmental science, and her masters in forest ecology management. She is currently working out of Isle Royale National Park as a vegetation ecologist. As of 2020, she is in her fourth field season there. In the park’s natural resource division, Lynette and her team inventory and monitor the natural resources of Isle Royale. The archipelago of Isle Royale National Park straddles the southern boundary of the boreal forest and northern boundary of the temperate forest region, which offers unique plant assemblages and habitat. One of the most recognized research programs of Isle Royale is the long running wolf-moose study. While Lynette is not a wildlife ecologist, her interests lie in the cascading effects of these two animals on the island ecosystem. Moose are currently abundant in the park, following the near collapse of the wolf population over the past decade. The moose are consuming vegetation and threatening the regeneration of the forests.

Lynette scouts for appropriate locations in the park to release wolves newly re-introduced to the island.

NPS / Jacob W. Frank

From 2018-2019, nineteen gray wolves were brought to the island to help re-establish the predator-prey relationship. Lynette and her team study the impacts of moose browse on the island’s forest in response to the reintroduction of wolves on the landscape. With more wolves on the island, there should be fewer moose and less browse damage to the forest. Hopefully forests regenerate with the restoration of predation, however Lynette will continue to monitor major disturbances, such as climate change and invasive species, to the island’s ecosystems.

Before Lynette worked for the National Park Service, she was an ecologist in a Forest Service research lab. In this academic type setting, she realized it wasn’t fully motivating her and that it was time to get back into a field-centric position. When an ecologist position opened up on Isle Royale, Lynette was thrilled about this new opportunity. She was enthusiastic about new challenges, and living on the island for six months out of the year. She was eager to get up in the mornings and go to work at a job she loves. She was always forest driven, and now she’s able to spend even more time outside!

Lynette was scouting for Marten sign on the Greenstone Trail during Winter Study on Isle Royale.

NPS Photo

Lynette has been lucky enough to work with amazing co-workers who have inspired and challenged her to do her best. She explains that future female scientists need to challenge themselves. “You need to follow your passion and make mistakes. You have to work for a job or company that motivates you to get out of bed in the morning,” she says. As Lynette continues to move forward in her career, she hopes she will always be inspired to jump out of bed and get started on work like that at Isle Royale – work that is meaningful, fulfilling, and fun.