Events
Bird Language: Sat, Nov 3
Saturday, November 3 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!As we move into late autumn, the fall migration is nearly complete. A few raptors are still moving through on their journey south, while "snow birds" have arrived from their northern breeding grounds. Many year-round residents are now moving about in mixed feeding flocks, filling the woods with their companion calls. Come join us on the slopes above the Minnesota River as we immerse ourselves in the birds world and hear what they have to tell us about 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 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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October Tracking Club: Scavenger Hunt
 Sunday, October 21 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 We enter wildlife tracking with our senses open to appreciate the subtle detail of the tracks and sign we see in the field. Sometimes our focus can get very involved as we look at the shape, edge, depth, and other details of a track to the exclusion of other signs of nature around us. This month we will expand our awareness to observe more than what shows up in a mud puddle (but we will do a fair amount of that too!). We
will gather at 9:00 in the fireplace room in the Visitor Center. We
will head out on the trail about 9:20 and return to the visitor center
about noon for a brief mapping exercise and wrap-up session. If you need
to reach us the day of the outing, please call Rob's cell phone at 612-369-2718. 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, Oct 6
Saturday, October 6 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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Cedar Creek Fall Survey: Sep 22-23
 Our Fall Survey will include three field sessions over two days, plus an opportunity to stay overnight at Cedar Creek. We will head out in teams to survey sand roads and check track plates, then come back in to share our discoveries with one another. Each team will be led by an experienced wildlife tracker, certified in Track & Sign identification. Here is the schedule for the weekend. Saturday, September 22 Session 1: 8:30am ~ 12:00pm Lunch: ~12:00pm - 1:00pm Session 2: 1:00pm ~ 5:00pm Sunday, September 23 Session 3: 9:00am ~ 4:00pm (including lunch in the field) Bring your own lunches. We will have lunch at the Lindeman Center on Saturday and (weather permitting) in the field on Sunday. Cedar Creek will provide coffee and snacks. Trackers, naturalists and enthusiasts of all levels are welcome to take part in our surveys--and having some experience with track and sign interpretation is definitely helpful. If you are new to wildlife tracking and would like to learn a bit about it before joining us for a survey, check out our free Two-Day Animal Tracking Workshop at Ft. Snelling State Park, September 15-16. It's a perfect way to prepare for our Fall Survey at Cedar Creek. Get all the details here. Overnight AccommodationsFor those who would like to stay overnight on Saturday, Cedar Creek is offering us housing on campus for the extraordinary low rate of $7 (there is an additional fee if you want Cedar Creek to provide linens). Our dorm can accommodate 10 people. Register right away to guarantee your spot. Meals will be on our own, and each dorm has complete kitchen facilities.RegistrationRegistration is required. To register, email Jonathan Poppele <poppele@umn.edu> or use our contact form. Let us know which sessions you plan to attend, and if you plan to stay overnight.Want to Carpool?We have a new tool to help coordinate carpooling. If you would like to share the trip to Cedar Creek, you can use our Group Carpool page to offer or request a ride.About Cedar CreekCedar Creek Ecosystem Science Reserve is a 5,400 acre experimental ecological reserve operated by the University of Minnesota. It is located about 35 miles north of Minneapolis and St. Paul, just east of Bethel.Cedar Creek lies at the boundary between prairie and forest. It is a mosaic of uplands dominated by oak savanna, prairie, hardwood forest, pine forests, and abandoned agricultural fields and of lowlands comprised of ash and cedar swamps, acid bogs, marshes, and sedge meadows. The area was first set aside in the early 1940s to be kept in its natural condition for scientific and educational purposes. Much of the land remains pristine, and has never been developed for agriculture. You can learn more at www.cedarcreek.umn.edu The diverse, pristine habitat supports a wide variety of mammals. Species seen on the property over the Reserve's 75 year history include white-tailed jackrabbits, badger, fisher, fox squirrels, porcupine & spotted skunks. Reserve staff and scientists are looking for our help to update their index of mammals. If you are a beginner, the surveys will offer an overview of the diversity of Minnesota Mammals. For the advanced tracker, you might get to try your hand at distinguishing fisher from otter; fox squirrel from grey squirrel; and a variety of tiny mammal tracks. You can take a look at some of what our tracking teams have found on our iNaturalist Project Page, or look read about our past surveys on our blog. The property includes 25 miles of sand roads, which catch tracks beautifully. The roads will be grated shortly before our surveys, offering optimal tracking conditions for us to locate and identify a rich diversity of species. Public access to the Reserve is limited. The Cedar Creek Wildlife Survey program offers you the rare opportunity to explore this exceptional landscape. Cedar Creek Ecosystem Science Reserve 2660 Fawn Lake Dr NE Bethel, Minnesota 55005 For a map & directions to Cedar Creek Ecosystem Science Reserve, click here |
2-Day Tracking Workshop & Tracking Club: Sep 15-16
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Bird Language: Sat, Sep 8 (Second Saturday)
Saturday, September 8 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. As we move past Labor Day weekend--the unofficial transition from summer to fall--we will 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.You can read about our August gathering here on our blog. 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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August Tracking Club: Test Prep
 Sunday, August 19 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 On Labor Day weekend, a group from our club will participate in a CyberTracker Track & Sign Evaluation with Michelle Peziol. Time for some final test prep! Come join us at Fort Snelling State Park as we challenge each other to identify and interpret tracks and sign and support our friends as they prepare for their evaluation. We
will gather at 9:00 in the fireplace room in the Visitor Center. We
will head out on the trail about 9:20 and return to the visitor center
about noon for a brief mapping exercise and wrap-up session. 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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Small Mammal Survey: Sun, Aug 5
 Sunday, August 5 8:00am - 10:00am Meet just inside the Bruce Vento Nature Sanctuary entrance: At the corner of Commercial St & 4th St E St Paul, MN 55106 We will use Sherman traps, baited with peanut butter and set out overnight to capture the smallest mammals, larger cage traps for larger mammals, and of course track plates to discover who is living in the park. Together, our group will collect traps from three separate survey transects, then help Dakota Rowsey identify and record species. Dakota is a great resource and happy to share his expertise about small mammals, they’re lifestyles, and how to identify them. We, in turn, may be able to offer some tips on identifying prints on the tracking plates. This is a great opportunity to spend some time outside, learn about our mammal neighbors, and contribute to a research project. The program is free for members of the Minnesota Wildlife Tracking Project, but registration is required and we are limited to 15 participants. To register, use our contact page, or email Jonathan Poppele <poppele@umn.edu> |
**Cloquet Wildlife Survey DATE CHANGE: Sun, Aug 19**
 Schedule for Sunday, August 19 Our summer survey will run a bit over half the day. We plan to divide into teams and survey the sand-roads for track and sign, then come back in to share our discoveries with one another. Our plan is to have each team led by an experienced wildlife tracker, certified in Track & Sign identification. Here is an approximate schedule for the day:9:45 Gathering on campus 10:00 Shuttle to survey routes 1:30 Gather for lunch in the field & to share our stories 3:00 Depart RegistrationAdvanced registration is required. To ease our planning, please register by Thursday, August 16.To register, use our contact form, or email Rachael Olesiak <rolesiak@umn.edu> or Jonathan Poppele <poppele@umn.edu> Want to Carpool?We have a new tool to help coordinate carpooling. If you would like to share the trip to Cedar Creek, you can use our Group Carpool webpage to offer or request a ride.iNaturalistWe use iNaturalist as a tool for recording and sharing our observations. It is the primary way we document what we find and report our results to researchers at the Cloquet Forestry Center. You can view sightings from our past surveys here on iNaturalist. Not everyone needs to record observations in iNaturalist, but there should be enough people in each group logging observations that all of the groups findings get reported. To add observations to our project, you will need an iNaturalist account, and be a member of the. Cloquet Forestry Center Wildlife Tracking iNaturalist project. If you don't have an iNaturalist account, begin by signing up using this link. Once you have signed up, you can join the Cloquet Forestry Center Wildlife Tracking project and add observations. You may also be interested in joining the Minnesota Wildlife Tracking Project and the North American Animal Tracking Database and adding your tracking observations to these as well. About Cloquet Forestry CenterThe Cloquet Forestry Center, located 135 miles north of the Twin Cities, has been the primary research and education forest for the University of Minnesota for over a century. Located in the Lake Superior watershed in northeastern Minnesota, this 2,662 acre experimental forest is home to researchers, practitioners, students, and members of the public who are interested in forest ecosystems and their sustainable management. The Center sits inside the Fond du Lac Indian Reservation and partners with the tribe on forest management and educational programming. It's northern Minnesota biome is home to a diversity of wildlife including moose, wolves, bears, lynx, bobcats, porcupines, pine martins, hares, goshawks, deer, and ruffed grouse.The overnight lodging that is sometimes available at the Cloquet Forestry Center is filled up for the weekend. If you would like to head up on Friday, or stay in the area until Sunday, there are some nearby hotels that offer reasonable rates. These are two of the closest and least expensive options: 121 Big Lake Rd, Cloquet, MN 55720 1308 MN-33, Cloquet, MN 55720 Address, Map & Directions Cloquet Forestry Center 175 University Road, Cloquet, MN 55720 For a map & directions to Cloquet Forestry Center, click here |
Bird Language: Sat, Aug 4
Saturday, August 4 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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