Events
2-Day Tracking Workshop: Oct 14-15
October 14-16 9:00am - 2:00pm Ft. Snelling State Park Visitor Center 101 Snelling Lake Rd West St Paul, MN 55111 To register call 612-725-2724 or email krista.jensen@state.mn.us This workshop qualifies as training for the Cedar Creek Wildlife Survey. Workshop participants are invited to join us at Cedar Creek on Saturday, October 21, for our fall survey. Over the course of the weekend you will build a foundation for your own study and interpretation of animal tracks. Tracking may be the most ancient of all sciences. Tracking is the study and interpretation of the tracks (footprints) and other signs left behind by animals as they go about their lives.  Saturday will begin at 9:00am and conclude by 2:00pm with a break for lunch (please bring your own). Sunday runs 9:00am - 1:00pm. We will spend much of Saturday and most of Sunday in the field. Dress to be comfortable inside and outside both on and off the trail. You may also wish to bring: Notebook and writing utensil Small ruler (6" plastic rulers work well) Measuring tape Camera Lunch and or snacks A water bottle Registration is required for this free event.To register, call 612-725-2724 or email <krista.jensen@state.mn.us> |
Bird Language: Sat, Oct 7
Saturday, October 7 9:00 - 1:00 Minnesota Valley National Wildlife Refuge Visitor Center 3815 American Blvd E Bloomington, MN 55425 Registration for these gatherings is encouraged, but not required. Feel free to drop by--and it would be great to know that you are coming! For a map & directions click hereBirds talk to each other. We can learn to understand it. And it's fun!The leaves are falling and the canopy is opening up again. “Snow birds" have arrived and joined the mixed feeding flocks while the raptor migration is in full swing. Come join us as we spend an autumn day observing the birds along the slopes of the Minnesota River Valley, and listening to what they have to tell us about what is going on in the forest.What should I bring?Bring what you need to be comfortable sitting still, outside on the ground for an extended period of time—perhaps as long as an hour. You will also need something to take notes on. You do not need to have binoculars, but there is no harm in bringing a pair if you would like. Here are a few recommended and optional items to bring:Recommended: Note pad & pencil Ground cloth, blanket or camp-chair Sun protection Bug protection Poncho if it is raining Optional: Water bottle Snack Binoculars Sign me up!Registration is encouraged, but not required. Feel free to drop in and join us—and it would be great to know you are coming! If you have any questions, or to register for the event:
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Sep 17 Tracking Club: No Pressure! Seeing movement through pressure releases
 Sunday, September 17 9:00am - 1:00pm We will gather at the Ft. Snelling State Park visitor center: Ft. Snelling State Park 101 Snelling Lake Rd West St Paul, MN 55111 During tracking, we often focus on identifying the species of animal that made a particular track or trail. However, the disturbances of substrate in and around the track can also tell us which direction the animal was moving, how quickly, and more about its behavior. This month, we'll spend some time practicing and observing pressure releases, then move to applying that knowledge to other tracks on the landscape. We
will gather at 9:00 in the Visitor Center. We
will head out on the trail about 9:20 and return to the visitor center
about noon for wrap-up. If you need
to reach us the day of the outing, please call Donnie's cell phone at 952-334-5471. Please note that cell reception is poor in much of the park. Note that 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
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Bird Language: Sat, Sep 2
Saturday, September 2 9:00 - 1:00 Minnesota Valley National Wildlife Refuge Visitor Center 3815 American Blvd E Bloomington, MN 55425 Registration
for these gatherings is encouraged, but not required. Feel free to drop
by--and it would be great to know that you are coming! Birds talk to each other. We can learn to understand it. And it's fun!Nesting season has wrapped up. Migration is beginning. The first "snowbirds" have arrived from the north and the neotropical migrants have begun their journeys south. Older birds know the routine--but for this year's hatchlings, it's all new. We will kick off Labor Day weekend--the unofficial transition from summer to fall--by gathering on the slopes of the Minnesota River Valley to watch and listen to the birds as they talk to each other about all that's going on in the woods.What should I bring?Bring what you need to be comfortable sitting still, outside on the ground for an extended period of time—perhaps as long as an hour. You will also need something to take notes on. You do not need to have binoculars, but there is no harm in bringing a pair if you would like. Here are a few recommended and optional items to bring:Recommended: Note pad & pencil Ground cloth, blanket or camp-chair Sun protection Bug protection Poncho if it is raining Optional: Water bottle Snack Binoculars Sign me up!Registration is encouraged, but not required. Feel free to drop in and join us—and it would be great to know you are coming! If you have any questions, or to register for the event:
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RESCHEDULED--Cedar Creek Survey: Sat, Sep 16
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Tracking Club: Partial Print Identification
 Sunday, August 20 9:00am - 1:00pm We will gather at the Ft. Snelling State Park visitor center: Ft. Snelling State Park 101 Snelling Lake Rd West St Paul, MN 55111 In the real world of wildlife tracking, animal tracks do not always present themselves as a clear and detailed print. Join us this month as we explore how to identify the track maker when we only have part of the whole. We will start with a discussion on some of the basics then move to one of my favorite places to practice partial print identification. We
will gather at 9:00 in the Visitor Center. We
will head out on the trail about 9:20 and return to the visitor center
about noon for wrap-up. If you need
to reach us the day of the outing, please call Donnie's cell phone at 952-334-5471. Please note that cell reception is poor in much of the park. Note that 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
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Bird Language: Sat, Aug 5
Saturday, August 5
9:00 - 1:00 Minnesota Valley National Wildlife Refuge Visitor Center 3815 American Blvd E Bloomington, MN 55425 Registration for these gatherings is encouraged, but not required. Feel
free to drop by--and it would be great to know that you are coming! Birds talk to each other. We can learn to understand it. And it's fun!As we move into high summer, the woods begin to quiet. The songs of spring, and even the incessant begging calls of early summer are fading as tired parents and naive fledglings do their best to feed themselves while staying safe from hungry juvenile raptors. The forest may seem more subdued than in the spring, but drama abounds. Come join us on the slopes of the Mississippi River Valley to see what the birds have to tell us about their day-to-day lives.What should I bring?Bring what you need to be comfortable sitting still, outside on the ground for an extended period of time—perhaps as long as an hour. You will also need something to take notes on. You do not need to have binoculars, but there is no harm in bringing a pair if you would like. Here are a few recommended and optional items to bring:Recommended: Note pad & pencil Ground cloth, blanket or camp-chair Sun protection Bug protection Poncho if it is raining Optional: Water bottle Snack Binoculars Sign me up!Registration is encouraged, but not required. Feel free to drop in and join us—and it would be great to know you are coming! If you have any questions, or to register for the event:
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Tracking Club: Bug Out
 Sunday, July 16 9:00am - 1:00pm We will gather at the Ft. Snelling State Park visitor center: Ft. Snelling State Park 101 Snelling Lake Rd West St Paul, MN 55111 Join us as we welcome entomologist Jessica Miller for an exploration of insect track & sign. Miller has specialties in aquatic insects and their relationship to water quality; and native pollinators. She is a wild bee technician at the University of Minnesota Bee Lab and has worked on many projects to promote healthy urban watersheds. This month, she will help us learn signs of these ubiquitous, vital members of our biotic community. This is an all-weather event and we spend time off trail, sometimes in very muddy conditions. 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 the Visitor Center. We
will head out on the trail about 9:20 and return to the visitor center
about noon for wrap-up. If you need
to reach us the day of the outing, please call Jon's cell phone at
612-388-4700. Please note that cell reception is poor in much of the park. Note that 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
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Bird Language: Saturday, July 1
Saturday, July 1
9:00 - 1:00 Minnesota Valley National Wildlife Refuge Visitor Center 3815 American Blvd E Bloomington, MN 55425 Registration for these gatherings is encouraged, but not required. Feel
free to drop by--and it would be great to know that you are coming! Birds talk to each other. We can learn to understand it. And it's fun!Kick off your Independence Day weekend eavesdropping on the birds along the wooded slopes of the Mississippi River Valley. As we move into the height of summer, we can expect to be surrounded by all five voices of the birds signing, screaming, begging, gossiping, jeering & tattling on each other like tiny, feathered fireworks.What should I bring?Bring what you need to be comfortable sitting still, outside on the ground for an extended period of time—perhaps as long as an hour. You will also need something to take notes on. You do not need to have binoculars, but there is no harm in bringing a pair if you would like. Here are a few recommended and optional items to bring:Recommended: Note pad & pencil Ground cloth, blanket or camp-chair Sun protection Bug protection Poncho if it is raining Optional: Water bottle Snack Binoculars Sign me up!Registration is encouraged, but not required. Feel free to drop in and join us—and it would be great to know you are coming! If you have any questions, or to register for the event:
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Spring Cedar Creek Wildlife Survey: June 17-18
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