Events
Trailing Practice: Sun, Mar 14
 Trailing
practice returns Ft. Snelling this month. We are getting into shoulder season for trailing. The matted leaf litter of early spring can offer some of the best substrate for finding and following fresh trails. Old snow or hard frozen ground, on the other hand, can make identifying fresh trails extremely difficult. But no matter what the substrate, we usually catch sight of some deer at Ft. Snelling an watch their behavior. Or, as the case may be, have some deer watch our behavior. Please
wear a mask and plan to maintain spatial distancing of a bit over one
deer's length. We are often able to get quite close to the deer at Ft. Snelling, so we may be able to check this first hand. Sunday, March 14 9:00 am - 12:00 pm We will gather in the parking lot south of the Thomas C. Savage Visitor Center: Thomas C. Savage Visitor Center Fort Snelling State Trail St Paul, MN 55111 This
is an all-weather event and we spend time off trail. With COVID, the
Visitor Center is not open and there are limited amenities: Outdoor
biffy, no drinking fountains. Please bring appropriate gear and dress
for several hours outdoors in whatever weather we may have that day. Please also take precautions for ticks,
as we expect to follow deer trails through prime tick habitat. Ticks
are active all year and we have friends who have contracted Lyme disease
in Minnesota in January. We
will meet at 9:00 in the parking lot. We will head out on the trail
shortly after 9:00 and return to the parking lot by 12:00 pm. If you
need to reach us the day of the outing, please call Kirsten's cell phone at 651-785-4650. Please note that once we are trailing, our phones will be on vibrate and we could easily miss an incoming call. You
need a State Park pass to drive to the Visitor Center. The parking lot
at the Historic Fort Snelling visitor center is currently closed for
construction.
Click Here for Directions: |
February Tracking Club: Otter go Tracking
 Sunday, February 21 9:00am - 1:00pm We will gather outside the Ft. Snelling State Park visitor center: Ft. Snelling State Park 101 Snelling Lake Rd West St Paul, MN 55111 North American River Otters are just plain fun to track. That they are also good indicator of the health of an aquatic ecosystem. Since 2009, the National Park Service has been conducting track and sign surveys along the Mississippi River to study our metro area otter populations. For the past couple of years, we have been sharing our sightings of otter track and sign with the National Park Service through our iNaturalist project, the Minnesota Metro Otter Survey. Come join us as we search the shores of the Minnesota and Mississippi rivers for signs of these inquisitive aquatic members of the weasel family, and learn to distinguish their tracks and sign from those of other animals. This is an all-weather event and we spend time off trail. Please bring appropriate footwear and dress for several hours outdoors in whatever weather we may have that day. We
will gather at 9:00 outside of the Visitor Center. We
will head out on the trail about 9:15 and return to the visitor center to wrap-up and share. If you need
to reach us the day of the outing, please call or text Jon's cell phone at
612-388-4700. Note that cell reception is poor in much of the park, and calls do not always come through. Important NotesPlease wear a mask and plan
to maintain a distance of roughly two otter lengths from those outside of your household.
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Trailing Practice: Sat, Feb 20
 Please
wear a mask and plan to maintain spatial distancing of a bit over one
deer's length. We are often able to get quite close to the deer at Ft. Snelling, so we may be able to check this first hand. Saturday, February 20 9:00 am - 12:00 pm We will gather in the parking lot south of the Thomas C. Savage Visitor Center: Thomas C. Savage Visitor Center Fort Snelling State Trail St Paul, MN 55111 This
is an all-weather event and we spend time off trail. With COVID, the
Visitor Center is not open and there are limited amenities: Outdoor
biffy, no drinking fountains. Please bring appropriate gear and dress
for several hours outdoors in whatever weather we may have that day. Please also take precautions for ticks,
as we expect to follow deer trails through prime tick habitat. Ticks
are active all year and we have friends who have contracted Lyme disease
in Minnesota in January. We
will meet at 9:00 in the parking lot. We will head out on the trail
shortly after 9:00 and return to the parking lot by 12:00 pm. If you
need to reach us the day of the outing, please call Kirsten's cell phone at 651-785-4650. Please note that once we are trailing, our phones will be on vibrate and we could easily miss an incoming call. You
need a State Park pass to drive to the Visitor Center. The parking lot
at the Historic Fort Snelling visitor center is currently closed for
construction.
Click Here for Directions: |
Trailing Practice: Sun, Jan 31
 Please
wear a mask and plan to maintain spatial distancing of a bit over one
deer's length. If we are successful, we may again be able to use actual
deer to check this. Sunday, January 31 9:00 am - 12:00 pm We will gather in the parking lot south of the Thomas C. Savage Visitor Center: Thomas C. Savage Visitor Center Fort Snelling State Trail St Paul, MN 55111 This
is an all-weather event and we spend time off trail. With COVID, the
Visitor Center is not open and there are limited amenities: Outdoor
biffy, no drinking fountains. Please bring appropriate gear and dress
for several hours outdoors in whatever weather we may have that day. Please also take precautions for ticks,
as we expect to follow deer trails through prime tick habitat. Ticks
are active all year and we have friends who have contracted Lyme disease
in Minnesota in January. We
will meet at 9:00 in the parking lot. We will head out on the trail
shortly after 9:00 and return to the parking lot by 12:00 pm. If you
need to reach us the day of the outing, please call Kirsten's cell phone at 651-785-4650. Please note that once we are trailing, our phones will be on vibrate and we could easily miss an incoming call. You
need a State Park pass to drive to the Visitor Center. The parking lot
at the Historic Fort Snelling visitor center is currently closed for
construction.
Click Here for Directions: |
January Tracking Club: Dashing Through the Snow
 9:00am - 1:00pm We will gather outside the Ft. Snelling State Park visitor center: Ft. Snelling State Park 101 Snelling Lake Rd West St Paul, MN 55111 The forecast is calling for several inches of fresh snow this week--just in time for tracking club! Come join us at Ft. Snelling State Park to see who was dashing through the snow when no one was looking. This is an all-weather event and we spend time off trail. Please bring appropriate footwear and dress for several hours outdoors in whatever weather we may have that day. We
will gather at 9:00 in outside the Visitor Center. We
will head out on the trail about 9:20 and return to the visitor center by 1:00pm. If you need
to reach us the day of the outing, please call Jon's cell phone at
612-388-4700. COVID
case rates remain high in Minnesota. Please wear a mask and plan
to maintain a distance of roughly one deer stride from those outside of your household.
Click Here for Directions: |
December Tracking Club: Shoulder Season
 9:00am - 1:00pm We will gather outside the Ft. Snelling State Park visitor center: Ft. Snelling State Park 101 Snelling Lake Rd West St Paul, MN 55111 It's
the shoulder season here in Minnesota with freezes, thaws, snows &
rains--sometimes all in one day. Every December, we may find fresh snow,
pristine mud, or hard frozen ground at our favorite tracking spots.
This year, we may also need to change from in-person tracking club to
dispersed tracking and an online gathering. The current limits on
outdoor social gatherings is set to expire on Friday, December 18--but
do keep an eye out for updates in case there is an extension. This is an all-weather event and we spend time off trail. Please bring appropriate footwear and dress for several hours outdoors in whatever weather we may have that day. We
will gather at 9:00 in outside the Visitor Center. We
will head out on the trail about 9:20 and return to the visitor center by 1:00pm. If you need
to reach us the day of the outing, please call Jon's cell phone at
612-388-4700. COVID
cases are rising dramatically in Minnesota. Please wear a mask and plan
to maintain a distance of roughly one-and-a-half turkey wingspans (or
one large turkey vulture) from those outside of your household. Road
construction on Highway 5 complicates travel to Ft. Snelling. We
strongly recommend checking current highway and ramp closures. You need a State Park pass to drive to the Visitor Center. The parking lot at the Historic Fort is closed for construction. You can also avoid both of these issues by coming by bicycle (if you have good snow tires!).
Click Here for Directions--which should account for the road construction: |
Trailing Practice: Sat, Dec 19
 Please
wear a mask and plan to maintain spatial distancing of a bit over one
deer's length. If we are successful, we may again be able to use actual
deer to check this. Sunday, December 19 9:00 am - 12:00 pm We will gather in the parking lot south of the Thomas C. Savage Visitor Center: Thomas C. Savage Visitor Center Fort Snelling State Trail St Paul, MN 55111 This
is an all-weather event and we spend time off trail. With COVID, the
Visitor Center is not open and there are limited amenities: Outdoor
biffy, no drinking fountains. Please bring appropriate gear and dress
for several hours outdoors in whatever weather we may have that day. Please also take precautions for ticks,
as we expect to follow deer trails through prime tick habitat. Ticks
are active all year and we have friends who have contracted Lyme disease
in Minnesota in January. We
will meet at 9:00 in the parking lot. We will head out on the trail
shortly after 9:00 and return to the parking lot by 12:00 pm. If you
need to reach us the day of the outing, please call Kirsten's cell phone at 651-785-4650. Please note that once we are trailing, our phones will be on vibrate and we could easily miss an incoming call. Road
construction on Highway 5 complicates travel to Ft. Snelling. We
strongly recommend checking current highway and ramp closures. You need a State Park pass to drive to the Visitor Center. The parking lot at the Historic Fort Snelling visitor center is currently closed for construction. You can also avoid both of these issues by coming by bicycle (if you have good snow tires!).
Click Here for Directions--which should account for the road construction: |
ONLINE ONLY: November Tracking Club: Turkey Trot: Sun, Nov 22
 **In compliance with the State of Minnesota's Emergency Executive Order 20-99 limiting gatherings by people from more than one household, we are cancelling our in-person Tracking Club for November.** We encourage you to get out tracking on your own or with members of your household, and gather online to share stories on Sunday. Here are the details:Tracks-giving and Other Tails Zoom Gathering Sunday, November 22 2:00-3:30 pm Click here to register*** *** Sunday, November 22 9:00am - 1:00pm We will gather outside the Ft. Snelling State Park visitor center: Ft. Snelling State Park 101 Snelling Lake Rd West St Paul, MN 55111 Snow has returned to Minnesota, but it doesn't seem ready to stay just yet. With temperatures floating around freezing, we may find mud, snow, or frozen ground at our favorite tracking spots. Whatever the substrate, we will plan to find some tracks and learn a bit about what the critters are up to as we move toward winter. This is an all-weather event and we spend time off trail. Please bring appropriate footwear and dress for several hours outdoors in whatever weather we may have that day. We
will gather at 9:00 in outside the Visitor Center. We
will head out on the trail about 9:20 and return to the visitor center by 1:00pm. If you need
to reach us the day of the outing, please call Jon's cell phone at
612-388-4700. COVID cases are rising dramatically in Minnesota. Please wear a mask and plan to maintain a distance of roughly one-and-a-half turkey wingspans (or one large turkey vulture) from those outside of your household. Road
construction on Highway 5 complicates travel to Ft. Snelling. We
strongly recommend checking current highway and ramp closures. You need a State Park pass to drive to the Visitor Center, but you can park for free at the Historic Fort Snelling visitor center. It is about a half-mile walk past the historic fort and down the hill to get to the State Park visitor center. The Historic Fort parking is located at 200 Tower Ave, St Paul, MN 55111. You can also avoid both of these issues by coming by bicycle (if you have good snow tires!).
Click Here for Directions--which should account for the road construction: |
CANCELED: Trailing Practice: Sat, Nov 21
 We encourage you to get out to follow deer on your own or with members of your household, and gather online to share stories on Sunday. Here are the details:Tracks-giving and Other Tails Zoom Gathering Sunday, November 22 2:00-3:30 pm Click here to register *** *** With the wood nettle buried under the recent snowfalls, trailing practice returns to Fort Snelling State Park this month. We'll practice
following fresh trails, with the goal of seeing the animals that made
them. The
deer at Ft. Snelling are habituated to people, giving us opportunities
to observe their behavior closely and compare observed behavior with
fresh tracks and trails. Please
wear a mask and plan to maintain spatial distancing of a bit over one
deer's length. If we are successful, we may again be able to use actual
deer to check this. We will gather in the parking lot south of the Thomas C. Savage Visitor Center: Thomas C. Savage Visitor Center Fort Snelling State Trail St Paul, MN 55111 This
is an all-weather event and we spend time off trail. With COVID, the
Visitor Center is not open and there are limited amenities: Outdoor
biffy, no drinking fountains. Please bring appropriate gear and dress
for several hours outdoors in whatever weather we may have that day. Please also take precautions for ticks, as we expect to follow deer trails through prime tick habitat. Ticks are active all year and we have friends who have contracted Lyme disease in Minnesota in January. We
will meet at 9:00 in the parking lot. We will head out on the trail
shortly after 9:00 and return to the parking lot by 12:00 pm. If you
need to reach us the day of the outing, please call Kirsten's cell phone at 651-785-4650. Please note that once we are trailing, our phones will be on vibrate and we could easily miss an incoming call. Road
construction on Highway 5 complicates travel to Ft. Snelling. We
strongly recommend checking current highway and ramp closures. You need a State Park pass to drive to the Visitor Center, but you can park for free at the Historic Fort Snelling visitor center. It is about a half-mile walk past the historic fort and down the hill to get to the State Park visitor center. The Historic Fort parking is located at 200 Tower Ave, St Paul, MN 55111. You can also avoid both of these issues by coming by bicycle (if you have good snow tires!).
Click Here for Directions--which should account for the road construction: |
Trailing Practice: Sun, Oct 25
 Please wear a mask and plan to maintain spatial distancing of a
bit over one deer's length. If we are successful, we may again be able to use
actual deer to check this. Please note the date change and Sunday schedule this month, to accommodate the Northeast Wildlife Trackers Conference the previous weekend. 9:00 am - 12:00 pm We will gather at the parking lot at the corner of Alta Vista Dr and Stuber Rd: Reservoir Woods Park 1901 Alta Vista Dr Roseville, MN 55113 This
is an all-weather event and we spend time off trail. There are no
amenities at Reservoir Woods. No bathrooms, no drinking fountains.
Please bring appropriate gear and dress for several hours outdoors in
whatever weather we may have that day. We
will meet at 9:00 in the parking lot. We will head out on the trail
shortly after 9:00 and return to the parking lot by 12:00 pm. If you
need to reach us the day of the outing, please call Kirsten's cell phone
at 651-785-4650. Please note that once we are trailing, our phones will be on
vibrate and we could easily miss an incoming call.
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