We can gather a lot of information from the imprints an animal leaves on an area: the speed of his movements, the direction she is headed, his age, sex, and, of course, species. In this class, we’ll leverage our five senses and pattern recognition skills to read an animal’s activities on the land. We’ll focus on three distinct areas of pattern language: tracking (footprints), trailing (disturbances), and signage like hair, bone, and scat.

Animal tracking is not just a skill for the hunter and trapper. By attuning ourselves to the dynamics of wild spaces and recognizing the stories behind disturbances, we can better appreciate our other-than-human neighbors and make evidence-based judgements about the health of an ecosystem.

This class is part of the Horn Farm Center's new Windows to Wild Lands series, taking place from 1 to 3pm on the first Sunday of every month. Each class, we'll offer an entry-level, hands-on lesson in an age-old primitive skill that reconnects with the land while giving us a glimpse into the nature-based lives of our human ancestry.