Just as you read a novel to make the characters and story come alive in your mind, so trackers learn to 'read' the story behind animal tracks and signs, using tracking techniques and bird language. Trackers call this getting inside the mind of the animal. Using the traditional lore from the Lipan Apaches, from the San Bushmen, the African Shangaan traditions as well as biology and the contemporary cognitive sciences, we will learn to track most of the local animals, as well as birds, insects and humans. Native trackers treat tracking as a 'spiritual' practice. We will look at how that tradition is still evolving. The best way to learn tracking has always been to go tracking with experienced trackers. This course offers 3 classroom hours and 28 hours in the field with an internationally certified local tracker. A 4th generation Sonoma county native, Jim has been roaming local landscapes for over 75 years, exploring and learning from others in the tracking community.
Students interested in certification, please contact the instructor at email@example.com