Calendar

Wolverine Tracking Project

Naturalist Skills
Community Night

Cascadia Ethnobotany
Study Group

Classes

The Wolverine Tracking Project

About the Project- Training - Registration - Mount Hood Survey Trips - Payment - Findings


WHAT IS THE WOLVERINE TRACKING PROJECT?
HOW THE PROJECT WORKS
WANT TO STUDY TO BECOME A TRIP LEADER?

 

WHAT IS THE WOLVERINE
TRACKING PROJECT?

The Wolverine Tracking Project provides a place where trackers of all skill levels can come together to strengthen their tracking skills, while helping steward the Mt Hood National Forest by surveying for rare carnivores.


Every winter, Cascadia Wild volunteer trip leaders conduct snowshoeing trips to the Mt Hood National Forest to mentor participants in the science and art of animal tracking. Different trips are geared towards participants of various skill levels and physical abilities. During each outing, trip leaders also teach a variety of naturalist skills and nature awareness routines. Our goal is for each participant to feel more knowledgeable about the region where they live and to begin building a personal connection to the land. We hope to instill a sense of place that will lead participants to develop healthier relationships with the natural environment and with their community.


Each trip is also designed to survey for rare carnivores in the Mt. Hood National Forest, focusing on wolverine, fisher, and marten. Knowing the status of these animals is important for making appropriate policy decisions; however, due to limited resources, the US Forest Service is unable to do adequately monitor these animals. As a Forest Service partner, Cascadia Wild helps ensure that decisions regarding the public forest are made with accurate information, while at the same time promoting people’s interest and involvement with our public lands.

         RETURN TO TOP


HOW THE PROJECT WORKS

New participants must attend one of our trainings, held October thru December. The training consists of two sessions, one in the classroom and one in the field. Survey trips to Mt Hood take place December through March. Participants may sign up for as many or as few survey trips as they like.

No experience is necessary; however, you must be in good enough physical condition to snowshoe up to 2 miles (except family trips).


Families are encouraged to participate. We have trips specifically geared toward families with small children, and offer discounts for youth. All children must be accompanied by a responsible adult.

         RETURN TO TOP

 

WANT TO STUDY TO BECOME A TRIP LEADER?

This year, we area starting a new intensive study program, designed for participants who wish to further their tracking knowledge or train to become trip leaders.

Volunteer trip leaders are the backbone of the Wolverine Tracking Project. They are responsible for correctly identifying the tracks we see in the field, for implementing the surveys correctly, and also for teaching new participants. Tracking is a skill that can be learned in a day, but takes years to master. In order for the project to continue into the future, Cascadia Wild needs to continually recruit and train future trip leaders. The greater the number of trip leaders participating, the more land we can survey and the greater our chances of detecting rare species.

The intensive study program is designed to train participants to become trip leaders. Intensive study participants will be paired with a current trip leader who will serve as their mentor. Mentors provide a source of guidance and discussion, answering questions and encouraging the student along their way. Although we do have some specific requirements, there is a lot of freedom in the intensive study program, allowing it to be tailored towards a student's own individual interests and availability.

Requirements of intensive study participants:
-The student must put in 100 hours of documented 'dirt time', tracking in the field. This can occur during a tracking trip, Tracking Club, a class, or on their own. To document the time spent, the student must show journals of what they have seen.
-The student must attend Cascadia Wild's classes in Advanced Tracking, Mammals of Mt Hood, and Nature Awareness. Classes from other schools may substitute on a case by case basis.
-To become familiar with how the project works, the student must volunteer 30 hours helping with the tasks associated with running the Wolverine Tracking Project.
-The student must demonstrate competence not only in animal tracking, but must also learn something about other naturalist skills such as plant identification, bird language, and primitive survival.
-The fee to participate is $50, or $40 for Cascadia Wild members.

We expect a student to complete the course of study in approximately 1 ½ to 2 ½ years.

Once a student completes the requirements, they must demonstrate their competence to a committee of senior trip leaders. If the committee agrees that they have met the qualifications, the student will be invited to become a trip leader.

         RETURN TO TOP