Nature in Community, in the Twin Cities: Track & Sign Evaluations

I regularly track in community with our local Minnesota Wildlife Tracking Project (and you can too! Join us here). It’s how I began tracking nearly 8 years ago. I treasure those four hours each month, of people coming to know nature around and within themselves.

As the seasons shift, the landscape serves up a different feast each month of tracks in mud, sand, or snow. or insect sign, or some really interesting scats along the trail. Each person brings their contribution to what we see: whether that’s a beginner bringing fresh eyes and new questions, or a seasoned naturalist sharing deep knowledge of an animal’s seasonal behavior. And each of us walk away with a greater awareness of the interactions of animals on the landscape, and of our internal processes.

Over Labor Day weekend, I had the pleasure of participating in another Cybertracker Track & Sign Evaluation, and assisting with a second, right in my tracking “backyard”: the Twin Cities metro area.

Why take an evaluation?

We become clear on what we know, and what we don’t know.
The pressure heightens our senses, and helps with retention of the experience and our learning.
We see the habits we have when we’re under pressure.
And, we get to spend time with people who are masters in this field, deeply skilled in both track and sign interpretation and in facilitating group learning. (Marcus Reynerson, our Evaluator, has served as a tracking instructor for the Wilderness Awareness School since 2007. He also recently directed the short film Caribou Homeland, and regularly teaches for organizations around North America.)

After the evaluation in Wisconsin, I noticed several internal shifts and added pressure showing up for the Twin Cities evaluation. Coming out of this evaluation with a Level III (91%), I can offer the following:

I feel relatively strong on track morphology and track patterns.
My external growing edges are around animal behavior, bone structure, and birds in particular (eggs and nests).
Internally, I have layers to sort through with my relationship to productivity vs. my wellbeing.
I’ll be turning next to behavior and sign of common local animals, starting with deer, cottontails, and robins.

And perhaps most helpful: this study never ceases. Nature constantly provides us more to see and learn.

Gratitude & Celebrations

I am profoundly grateful for the chance to experience this in community, to see my friends and collaborators growing as well. I’d like to celebrate the following folks from the two evaluations this weekend:

For participating with excellent questions and joyful curiosity: John Bauhs, Troy Ellefson, Mike Holz
For earning a Level I certificate: Jason Askins, Emily Foubert, Maren Miller, Tieran Rosefield
For earning a Level II certificate: Sue Dahl, Kari Skoog
For earning a Level III certificate: Alan Holzer, Eric Vehe
For the previously certified participants, who contributed their knowledge, skills, and questions to rich discussions of sign: Abel Bean, Susan Bean, Steve Engel, Bill Kass, Sophie Mazowita, and Jon Poppele
For unwavering support, scouting, and clipboard holding: Donnie Phyillaier, Jon Poppele, Sam Royce

And as ever, profound thanks to our Evaluator Marcus Reynerson, and his colleague Matt Nelson, for opening our eyes to the wealth of sign and tracks existing right under our noses in the Twin Cities. It’s a pleasure to go tracking and learn from you!

Note: To see candid pictures from these Evaluations, please click here.