Fundamentals of Wildlife Tracking
Have you ever stepped over a track in the mud, seen scat, or a scratch on a tree and wondered who made it? Join White Pine staff Matt Shull, Sandy Reed, and Marcus Reynerson, from Tracker Certification North America, to learn about the art and science of wildlife tracking. Through a combination of class and field time, you will become grounded in the context for what wildlife tracking is, and particularly how it is relevant to a variety of people: from wildlife scientists, to conservationists, or simply for people who want to be more connected to the natural world in the places that they live. Wildlife tracking offers a holistic ecological window into the happenings of the living world around us. By becoming aware of wildlife that live in our backyards, the world around us will take on a completely different feel.
In this course, you will gain the skill set to start, or to continue, exploring the vast world of wildlife tracking. We will cover:
- Frameworks for understanding and learning wildlife tracking and resources to continue your learning
- Natural history, taxonomy and wildlife of the region
- Basic wildlife foot morphology and clear print identification
- Behavior and wildlife sign interpretation
- Basics of tracking, drawing and observation
Designed to lay a framework for the basics of tracking, participants will leave this course looking at the ground in a completely different way with the tools to continue to develop themselves as connected naturalists who can learn to read the stories left all around us.
This training will be partly indoor and outdoor. Bring whatever is needed to be in the field and comfortable, including a notebook and a pen or pencil and your own lunch.
Note: This rich one-day introduction class will also be part of our 6-month Wildlife Tracking Intensive Program. You will participate in class alongside our students in that program, which will be the first day of class for them. For those interested in learning more about this, please visit our website here…
https://www.whitepinewilderness.org/event/midwest-wildlife-tracking-intensive
Address: 841 W 53rd Street, Indianapolis Indiana, 46208
Date: August 30, 2025
Cost: $170
Ages: 16 and up
Participants: Open to 10 participants