The Science and Art of Wildlife Tracking with Wenatchee River Institute and Marcus Reynerson

Have you ever stepped over an animal track, noticed a pile of scat or scratches on a tree and wondered, who made it? Learn about the fundamentals of wildlife tracking by joining Wenatchee River Institute (WRI) and professional wildlife tracker and educator Marcus Reynerson of Wilderness Awareness School, Duvall, WA for a 2-day course, Saturday and Sunday, September 21-22, from 9 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. each day.

Through a combination of class and field time, course participants will become grounded in the context of wildlife tracking –how it is relevant to a variety of people from wildlife scientists to conservationists, as well as to those who simply want to be more connected to the natural world. Wildlife tracking offers a holistic, ecological window into the activities of the living world surrounding us. By becoming aware of the wildlife living in our backyards, the world becomes a richer place as new sights and sounds are recognized and enjoyed.

“Tracking with Marcus is an amazing experience because it is so much more than walking around and looking for tracks on the ground. Marcus knows how to look at a forest with the awareness of a tracker, knowing exactly where the animals have gone and the certain behaviors one might see. Watching him work will inspire anyone to become a wildlife tracker, to learn about the natural world in a unique way,” said Rachel Bishop, WRI Community Education Lead, who has worked with Reynerson prior during a field course, tracking a cougar up the Icicle Canyon.

“We wandered through the trees following signs such as tracks and scrapes, and what the cougar seemed to be following, a snowshoe hare. There is more activity in our backyards than we realize!” added Bishop.

In this course, you will gain the skill-set to explore the vast and exciting world of wildlife tracking:

• Natural history, taxonomy, and regional wildlife • Basic wildlife foot morphology
• Clear print identification • Behavior and wildlife sign interpretation • Track aging
• How wildlife interacts with varying landscapes • The fundamentals of following animal trails
• The art of inquiry and engaging curiosity

Every tracking experience is unique and so the course will follow the curiosity of the participants, as well as the animal tracks and trails encountered along the way. Whether you are an experienced tracker or a beginner, course participants will learn to look at the ground in a new way, with the tools to develop as connected naturalists, reading stories left behind by the wildlife all around us.

Reynerson is a naturalist, educator, and photographer. He has worked in wilderness education, outdoor leadership, and conservation for numerous organizations and communities across North America and Europe. He engages in telling stories about the complexity of humans living in the 21st century. Reynerson is the lead instructor for an internationally renowned environmental leadership immersion program for adults at the Wilderness Awareness School, and an evaluator with Cybertracker Conservation, an organization dedicated to providing leading edge assessment and certification across the globe in the art and science of wildlife tracking.

2-Day Course Cost: $150 WRI Members, $175 Non-Members, with course size limited to 16 participants. Please dress for changing weather, and pack water, lunch and snacks. Meet by 9 a.m. at the WRI campus, 347 Division Street in Leavenworth, to travel via WRI Otter Van and carpool. Direct any questions to Rachel Bishop, rbishop@wenatcheeriverinstitute.org or call (509)548-0181 x5. To register, visit our website: www.wenatcheeriverinstitute.org | Community Experiences | Workshops and Field Courses