Midwest Wildlife Tracking Intensive

The Wildlife Tracking Intensive provides in-depth training in the art and science of wildlife tracking for students of various backgrounds and experience. Visiting a variety of locations and habitats around the lower Midwest and upper South in Indiana, Kentucky, Tennessee and Ohio, participants will have the opportunity to learn about a wide range of wildlife and ecology and hone their skill set in wildlife tracking. The program will culminate with a CyberTracker Track and Sign Certification.

Program Objectives

Through presentations, field instruction, peer learning, and independent study, participants will gain a combination of field experience and technical skills. Students will walk away with

• A greater knowledge of place, increased ability to read the landscape, and a stronger sense of belonging in the natural world.
• Strong technical skills in the art and science of wildlife tracking that translates across the continent in a variety of ecosystems.
• A rich context and understanding of the different ways wildlife tracking is being applied across the globe and resources to explore these upon course completion..

Whether you are a professional in the environmental sciences, conservation, or education, or simply an amateur nature lover, this program will provide you with a rich educational experience in a rigorous yet fun and easygoing way with a group of eager learners and inspired naturalists.

Course Calendar and Syllabus

Class weekends are generally Friday 6:30 pm – Sunday 3:00 with 3 weekends having an early start, running Friday 9:00 am – Sunday 3:00 pm. Each Saturday will also have an evening session from 6:30 – 8:30 pm

*Some of these times may flex at staff discretion depending on location, logistics, and weather conditions.

• September 4-6 – 2026 – Introductory Weekend – Indianapolis, IN  
  • Creating the learning community and course overview
  • Fundamentals of wildlife tracking and key frameworks for learning
  • Introducing the global Tracking Community
  • Track morphology and SIgn Tracking Principles
  • Nature observation, awareness, and movement techniques
  • Initial Field assessment

• October 2-4, 2026 – Animal Gaits, Track Patterns, and Locomotion – Indiana Sand Dunes, North IN 
  • Track morphology
  • Track pattern assessment
  • Gaits and animal locomotion analysis
  • Track and Sign practice

• November 6-8, 2026 – Ecological Tracking, Human Tracking and Trailing – Louisville, KY – Guest staff Rob Speiden – Early Start weekend

• • Sign Tracking 
  • Wildlife relationships with landscapes
  • Human tracking Fundamentals
  • Track Aging
  • Trailing Fundamentals and practice

• December 11-13, 2026 – Avian Track and Sign and Mammal Skulls – Indianapolis, IN – Early Start Weekend
  • Bird natural history
  • Introduction to Bird Language
  • Feather anatomy and Identification
  • Avian foot morphology and sign ID
  • Mammal Skull and bone identification

Winter Break – January 2027

Two optional regional tracking meet-ups – Details and Dates TBD

Two Zoom content sessions – Details and Dates TBD

• February 26-28, 2027 – Wildlife Trailing – La Follette, TN – Guest Staff Nate Harvey – Early Start Weekend
  • Trailing techniques and field practice
  • Elk natural history
  • Ecological and predictive tracking concepts
  • Observation and movement practices

• April 9-11, 2027 – Applications of Wildlife Tracking – Pataskala, OH – Guest staff Sophie Mazowita
  • Spring Track and Sign Practice
  • Wildlife relationships with landscapes
  • Applications of professional wildlife tracking 

• April 30 – May 2, 2027 – CyberTracker Certification and Course Wrap up – Indianapolis, IN
  • Track and Sign Certification
  • Celebration, reflections on the year, and next steps

Out-of-Class Opportunities

Students will receive suggested readings, exercises, and journaling and research assignments to pursue at their own pace during the weeks between each class session. These assignments will complement and enrich the material we will cover each weekend. There will also be two zoom sessions throughout the course on a variety of topics, with dates TBD.

Tuition: $2775 (4 payments available) 

Lodging: Camping/lodging provided on most weekends

Instructors

This program will have three very skilled naturalists, trackers and educators as your instructors. CyberTracker evaluator Marcus Reynerson will serve as the lead instructor along with Track and Sign Specialist Sandy Reed of Original Wisdom and Matt Shull of White Pine Wilderness Academy. We will also have three renowned guest instructors join throughout the program: CyberTracker Evaluators Nate Harvey and Rob Speiden, and Track and Sign Specialist Sophie Mazowita 

We will be taking 14 participants as we value a small class size allowing us to develop rapport and close-knit learning community over the course of our 7 months together.

White Pine is grateful for the Wilderness Awareness School in Washington State who, with their myriad of skilled and experienced staff, has been a pioneering entity in spreading and cultivating these skills and making them accessible to many people over the last three decades. This program is modeled on their program in the Pacific Northwest.