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This is a clip from an episode of Oregon Public Television where instructors from Wilderness Awareness School's Wildlife Tracking Intensive talk about Wildlife Tracking on the Oregon Dunes.
How do you become a skilled wildlife tracker?
The Wildlife Tracking Intensive provides in-depth training in the art and science of wildlife tracking for both beginner and advanced students. Visiting a diversity of habitats from the coastal dunes of Oregon to the high deserts of eastern Washington, participants have the opportunity to study and track a great variety of wildlife species.
From snow tracking elusive lynx, bobcat, and cougar in the Cascade Mountains to trailing mink, otter, and bear along riparian sandbars in the Puget Sound, this wildlife tracking course is packed with adventure, challenge, and quality instruction.
Based on Wilderness Awareness School's Six Arts of Tracking curriculum, this rigorous course trains participants in the many components of animal tracking including:
- Identification of animal track and sign for keying out species and individuals
- Interpretation of gaits and other behaviors from track patterns
- Aging and event sequencing to place activities in time
- Ecological tracking to enable you to predict wildlife activity
- Trailing and backtracking procedures for finding animals
- Observation techniques that help you locate and see more wildlife
Facilitated by highly experienced trackers, David Moskowitz, and Marcus Reynerson, the Wildlife Tracking Intensive meets for nine field-based weekends between September and June and utilizes many of the best tracking locations in the Pacific Northwest as our classroom.
Small class size allows us to develop a strong sense of community and camaraderie, and accelerates the learning process. While wildlife tracking is the focus of the course, an overview of human tracking applications is covered as well.
Graduates of this tracking course will come away with:
- Strong technical skills in the art and science of wildlife tracking
- A greater knowledge of place and ability to read the landscape
- Experience with the scientific, educational, and recreational applications of tracking
The Wildlife Tracking Intensive is designed to allow people with busy lives to participate.
Each of the nine weekends begins on Saturday morning, and concludes in the mid-afternoon on Sunday, including an evening session on Saturday night. About half of the weekends take place in the Puget Sound region of Washington State, while the rest occur in various locations throughout Washington and Oregon.
Through informative presentations, field exercises, and guided independent study, participants in the Wildlife Tracking Intensive gain a unique combination of field experience and technical skills.
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