Animal Tracking and Awareness

Class date / time: Friday, March 19, 2021 - 8:30am to 3:30pm

Instructor: Richard Vacha

Fee: $80

Non-Member Fee: $90

In this class we will go for a timeless wander in nature, practicing techniques of slowing ourselves down and opening up our senses into a state of sensory expansion, the foundation of the Tracker Mind.

We will take what nature offers us and dive deeply into the world of animal life that is revealed when we shift into this state of awareness. We will learn to use all of our senses---sight, sound, smell, feel--in our study of track and sign.

We will look at track identification, study trails, gaits and animal movement, work on scat identification, kill site analysis, feeding sign, digging sign and other landscape disruptions. We will work on mammals, birds, insects and reptiles as they present themselves. We'll also work on skeletal structure and feather analysis.

We will do all of this while maintaining a very slow and relaxed pace.

Richard Vacha has been studying animal tracking for 30 years and has been teaching animal tracking and nature awareness for 15 years. He manages the Point Reyes Tracking School and Marin Tracking Club and has authored a collection of essays in his philosophical book, "The Heart of Tracking". Richard is a Class III internationally certified tracker.

Get details on the Point Reyes National Seashore Association class page.