Fwd: Announcing our 2021 conference keynote 🐾
Ann Gisinger
From: Northeast Wildlife Trackers <in...@northeastwildlifetrackers.org>
Date: Wed, Apr 14, 2021 at 6:25 PM
Subject: Announcing our 2021 conference keynote 🐾
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Northeast Wildlife Trackers Spring Newsletter April 2021 
"Because the woods are filled with stories, many still undiscovered, careful observation of almost any organism is likely to yield surprise and delight." -Uldis Roze, from The North American Porcupine Spring is here! To soon for some but not soon enough for others.
The winter tracking season is behind us, but new and equally exciting tracking and wildlife observing opportunities are beginning. Included in April's newsletter is information on opportunities to learn in group settings, online or in person, suggested books to add to your collection, an update on the annual conference, and field notes accompanied by beautiful photos from Linda J. Spielman, author of A Field Guide to Tracking Mammals in the Northeast.
Read on to find: -Announcement of the keynote speaker for the 2021 conference -Spring reading recommendations -Spring tracking event calendar -A field note and photos from Linda Spielman
Announcing our 2021 Keynote Speaker: Rebecca Watters 
Rebecca Watters is a wildlife biologist and writer based in Bozeman, Montana, where she serves as executive director of the Wolverine Foundation. She spent two years in Mongolia doing environmental work as a Peace Corps volunteer, and started the Mongolian Wolverine Project in 2009 to assess and monitor climate-sensitive mountain wildlife in Mongolia. The Mongolian Wolverine Project has expanded beyond wolverines and works with three large protected areas in northern Mongolia to monitor wildlife and to build conservation capacity. Tracking, camera trapping, and field naturalist skills all play important roles in this work.
Her blog chronicles her work with wolverine science in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem and in Mongolia, as well as the creative outgrowths of that work. Her blog also serves as a place where wolverine-related media are compiled.
The Annual Northeast Wildlife Trackers Conference will be held on Saturday, October 23rd (with additional online events Oct 18-22).
Note: We are currently planning for a fully virtual 2021 event but are considering options for a hybrid in-person/online format should conditions allow for it.
Visit northeastwildlifetrackers.org for conference updates in the months ahead.
Spring Reading List Early spring tracking can mean a late season snow with an ideal layer of light sticky snow, or it can mean scouring the muddy banks of ponds, creeks, and vernal pools. This time of year nature comes alive with more species to identify and more challenging tracks to test your skills. Below are reading suggestions from the Northeast Wildlife Trackers Conference planning committee provided in the spirit of becoming a better tracker. 
Suburban Howls: Tracking the Eastern Coyote in Urban Massachusetts by Jonathan G. Way
Sue Morse's WILDLIFE & HABITATS collection - The 2021 edition of this incredibly rich resource is now available through the Keeping Track website
Bark: A Field Guide to Trees of the Northeast by Michael Wojtech (foreword by Tom Wessels)
The Tender Carnivore and the Sacred Game by Paul Shepard - This book is not light reading and, like all good books, is controversial. But few other books will change the way you look at nature, humanity, and the importance of your membership in the natural world as much as this book.
Saved: How I quit worrying about money and became the richest guy in the world by Ben Hewitt. When the author met Erik Gillard, he was amazed. Here was a real-life rebel living happily and comfortably in small-town Vermont on less than $10,000 per year. Gillard's no bum. He has a job, a girlfriend, good friends, and strong ties to the community. But how he lives his life—and why—is what makes this book worth reading. It may not sound like a book that should be on a reading list for wildlife trackers, but the book is ultimately about what all wildlife trackers are seeking: improving the connection between ourselves and all of the life around us.
Tracking Event Calendar Spring events, both in-person and online, with our friends and affiliates. IN-PERSON EVENTS Tracker Training Field Sessions: Getting ready for a tracker evaluation? Just want to get in some quality "dirt time" with fellow trackers? These sessions will aim to cover both breadth (many species & variations) as well as depth (natural history) of regional wildlife species. Trainers: Dan Gardoqui & Bill Marple. Limit 12. Fee $65. Sessions run 9am-1pm (eastern) on Sundays: May 16, June 6, & July 11 in Southern Maine (exact location TBD). More info. Central New England Track & Sign Certification: May 22-23 in Southern VT & Western MA. Full with waitlist. Visit trackercertification.com for other upcoming tracker certifications or to host your own. Tracking & Perception: Seeing Through the Artist's Eyes: A weekend-long workshop full of instruction and exercises to enhance your ability to see the natural world as a tracker and naturalist. We will practice track interpretation, observation of wildlife signs, and movement on animal trails, increasing your ability to perceive more of what's there and presenting ways of seeing with greater ease & clarity. Offered by Daniel Hansche and Annika Tara Hansche of Spur Wander. More info and registration here. Dates/locations: July 3-4, Western MA July 10-11, New Paltz NY July 17-18, Southern ME July 24-25, Location TBA ONLINE EVENTS Tracks & Signs of Reptiles & Amphibians May 19: Online presentation with Filip Tkaczyk, who wrote the field guide on this same topic. He'll provide a concise and thorough introduction to North American species, plus Q&A. 1.5 hr session starts 8:30pm Eastern (5:30pm Pacific), with a recording available for review and for those who can't attend live. Hosted by Tracking Connection, $20. Tickets/details here.
Talking with Birds: a 4-week online journey focusing on how to better understand and communicate with birds. Experience unique, interesting and engaging lessons with seasoned educator, naturalist and bird language expert, Dan Gardoqui. Each week, Dan curates a class experience that includes elements of: well-researched content (photos, videos, facts and stories); class connection time where we learn as a “flock”; and time for individual questions and answers from students. Sessions run Wednesday evenings 7-8:30pm (eastern) April 28, May 5, May 12, May 19. Info and registration. Online Tracker Training Series: Ever consider prepping for a tracker evaluation via Zoom with structured lessons and peer interaction? All are welcome to dust off tracking skills or learn from scratch. Facilitators: Dan Gardoqui & Bill Marple. Sessions take place the last Thursday of the month from 7-8:30pm (eastern) via Zoom. April 29, May 27, June 24 & July 29. Info and registration.
Decoding Nature's Language: Secrets to Seeing More Wildlife: a course designed for anyone who wants to get closer to wildlife – such as hunters, wildlife photographers, guides and more. Over the course of 6 weeks (90 mins per session), we'll share tips, tricks, practices and pitfalls when it comes to getting close to your wild neighbors. Co-taught by Nate Summers, author of Primal: Why We Long to be Wild & Free. Nate is a survival skills expert who is rooted in over a decade of work in the field of nature-connection. Class runs Wednesdays 10:30am-12:00pm (Pacific) April 28 thru June 9th. Info and registration.
Did we miss your event or resource? Send us a message so that we can be sure to include it next time. We tried to include all known events from our friends and affiliates here.
And one more big event this month... 
The upcoming 2021 North American Wildlife Tracker Conference arose from the collaboration between keynote speaker Casey McFarland and virtual conference coordinator Sophie Mazowita at the 2020 Northeast Wildlife Trackers Conference.
Inspired by the community of trackers who attended our October event, they are hosting an April 23-29 event through Tracker Certification and offering a special discount to our northeast tracker community: use the code NWT20 for a 20% discount off of the regular admission rate, now through April 20. Info and registration at trackerconference.com.
Field Note: Warm Weather Tracking by Linda Spielman
I’m always sad to see the last of the snow, but the thought of warm weather tracking invariably cheers me up. Mud season is upon us, and I look forward to exploring muddy roads, farm fields that aren’t plowed yet, low spots in trails, wet meadows, and disturbed sites. The mud in the first photo was at the perfect stage of drying, and it recorded the white-footed mouse tracks in beautiful detail. 
Flooding following snow melt and spring rains can cause problems, but it can also create nice tracking areas. The tracks in the second photo were made by a mole travelling across a silty flood deposit. Based on the location, I think it was probably a hairy-tailed mole, but star-nosed mole tracks would look the same. The animal may have been forced to come up onto the surface by the flood-saturated soil. 
Many sites that provide great tracking in early spring will be altered as the season progresses. Muddy areas may dry out, agricultural fields will be plowed and planted, and wet meadows and flood deposits will fill in with new plant growth. But along with these changes water levels generally go down and muddy shorelines become exposed. The mink tracks in the next photo occurred along a silty stream edge. The substrate was just wet enough to produce a beautiful rendition of the mustelid arrangement of toes and pads. And if you frequent shorelines you’ll encounter more than minks, otters, muskrats and beavers. The tracks of upland animals are also commonly found around the margins of streams, ponds and wetlands. 
Sand can be great for tracking, and that immediately brings to mind the sandy soils of the Atlantic coast. But sandy soils can also be found in many inland areas, due to our history of glaciation. One of my favorite tracking locations is an area of glacial outwash soils in the western Adirondacks. I found the porcupine prints in the last photo on a forest road used mainly by ATV riders. In that same area I’ve found the tracks of bears, bobcats, foxes, coyotes, weasels, and assorted small rodents, as well interesting trails left by toads hunting for insects and sinuous designs made by snakes basking in the sun. You may have mixed feelings (as I do) about the machines, but intermittent vehicle use of forest roads and ATV trails may create just enough disturbance for good tracking. I avoid the ATVs by getting out early. 
So don’t give up on tracking just because the snow is gone. Look for mud and become attuned to the effects of rain and drying cycles. Take advantage of flooding events. Find out about glacial outwash soils near you—most states and many counties produce soil maps available either online or in hard copy. Start accumulating a list of promising sites and exchange information on your discoveries with other trackers. And always be alert for those unexpected patches of perfect tracking soil.
Happy Tracking! from the Northeast Wildlife Trackers Planning Team (Matt, Pat, Sophie, Kim, Dan & Pam) |
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