2 Day Cyber Tracking Evaluation

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Date
Date(s) - Oct/Sat/2014 - Oct/Sun/2014

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Tags awareness, nature awareness, nature connection, primitive skills, southeast, Tennessee, tracker, tracking, wildlife, workshops

Spend a weekend learning the tracks and signs of our local wildlife with Casey McFarland of Wildlife Tracking Southwest and CyberTracker Conservation. This field course is a hands-on, intensive program, designed to quickly give participants the confidence to track and learn wildlife behavior. As a “tracking evaluation,” it is structured to provide participants, both those who are new to tracking as well as experienced wildlife trackers, a comprehensive understanding of wildlife behavior, foot morphology, and tracking concepts.

Don’t miss this incredible opportunity!  Only 10 spots available!

You will learn identification, gaits, sign interpretation and natural history of critters big and small (mammals, birds, reptiles and amphibians, and insects).

A perfect springboard for participants new to wildlife track and sign and a wonderful opportunity for experienced trackers to further their skill, this field-course will offer a unique perspective into the private lives of wildlife and their function within the ecosystem.

The class emphasizes an open, relaxed, encouraging and entertaining learning environment, and provides the tools for exploring foot morphology, locomotion, and behavior of various wildlife.

Participants will come away with:

-An entirely new way of understanding and relating to local wildlife

– Unique and applicable knowledge of the variety of animals in the area, their behavior, how to find them, and how to quickly recognize and interpret sign

-A greater understanding of general wildlife ecology, relationships and interactions between species, and the roles of wildlife in their environment

The CyberTracker Evaluation is an internationally applied, professional-level certification process used to determine and facilitate in-depth wildlife tracking knowledge. First and foremost, though, it is an unparalleled learning experience suitable for all skill levels.

Instructor

Casey McFarland: currently contributes to various wildlife projects, including wildlife connectivity and carnivore studies, and has worked extensively in mountain lion research. He trains and certifies biologists, research teams and the general public across the US and Europe through the CyberTracker Conservation evaluation system, an international standard for gauging and enhancing one’s in-field knowledge of track, sign and behavior of mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians and invertebrates.

Casey also has been involved in general environmental education for over a decade, instructing on various topics in venues ranging from wilderness schools and state agencies to the Sierra Club. He can be contacted at wildlifetrackingsouthwest.com.

Logistics

This course venue is Spiral Ridge Permaculture Homestead. Free camping on site is included in the price of the course. Rustic facilities for bathroom/shower, as well as a fire pit, are also available.

If camping is not suitable, we have an arrangement with our neighbors, just 10-minutes by bicycle, at The Farm EcoHostel. They provide a full range of accommodations including dormitories, private rooms with shared bath, and private cabins. They have free, fast unlimited broadband and plenty of solar electricity for charging your devices. They even have bikes for rent. Spiral Ridge participants get 15% off. For reservations, please contact them directly: inn at thefarm dot org or 931-964-4474. Credit, debit and Paypal accepted. Their website is www.thefarm.org.

If neither of these options work for you, please contact us for more information.

Food

We believe you should be well nourished during your stay so that you may fully participate. For that reason, when you sign up for our course, we will provide three nutrient-dense and delicious, omnivorous meals a day, for free. As much as possible, the food is sourced locally and is organic. We include meats and vegetables from our (Spiral Ridge) homestead, probiotic rich fermented foods and we only use butter, olive oil, coconut oil or animal fats in our food. No over processed, GMO laden junk. We aim to embody the principles we teach about on every level. Vegetarian? Gluten Free? No problem! Let us know ahead of time and we will do our best to accommodate you. If you have a very restrictive diet, you may need to bring some of your own food.

Tennessee in the fall is cool-cold and can be rainy. Please consider housing if you are uncomfortable camping in this environment. Please come prepared for rain (rain boots, raincoat). There is a store on The Farm that carries many snacks and natural foods. You must bring your own towels and soaps (biodegradable, if camping). It is advisable to also bring a flashlight. Wifi will sometimes be available at our homestead, but is limited. If you need to get online, The Farm Store has wifi. Cell phone reception is good. We are, however, living off-grid, with a small solar system. If the days are cloudy, there will be limited access to electricity for charging phones/computers, etc.

Bookings

Bookings are closed for this event.