The Cloquet Forestry Center
is hosting its second winter wildlife tracking survey in cooperation with the
Minnesota Wildlife Tracking Project and the University of Minnesota Fisheries, Wildlife and Conservation Biology Club. Short term goals for this project include assessing what animals are
using the forest and providing a learning experience for Cloquet
Forestry Center management staff and University students. Long term
goals include monitoring trends in mammal diversity and abundance with
possible links to forest management and climate change. To register, use our contact form, or email Jonathan Poppele <poppele@umn.edu> The survey will be an all day affair. We plan to divide into teams and survey the snowpacked roads for track and sign, 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 day: 9:30 Gathering in the Stine room 10:00 Shuttle to survey routes and begin tracking 12:00 Lunch break in the field 12:30 Second survey route 2:30 Return to the Stine room to share the story of the day 4:00 Complete and head home RegistrationAdvanced registration is required. To ease our planning, please register no later than Wednesday, March 6.To register, use our contact form, or email Jonathan Poppele <poppele@umn.edu> 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 Cloquet Forestry Center has offered housing in the on-campus bunkhouse the night before the survey at a very reasonable price. Spaces are available for $12 per person. The bunkhouse also has a kitchen, and can accommodate up to 17 people between two large, shared bunk rooms. We need to make housing reservations no later than Wednesday, March 6. If you would like housing for Saturday night, please let Jonathan Poppele know when you register, and please register before the Mar 6 deadline. If you would like private accommodations, or would like to rent a room for Sunday night after the survey, these are two of the closest and least
expensive options: Super 8 Cloquet 121 Big Lake Rd, Cloquet, MN 55720 Americc Inn, Carlton 1308 MN-33, Cloquet, MN 55720 CarpoolingCloquet Forestry Center is about a two hour drive from the Twin Cities. You can coordinate carpools using this GroupCarpool.com webpage.Extensive
networks of cross country ski trails are available in Fond du Lac State
Forest and Jay Cooke State Park, just 10-15 miles from the Cloquet
Forestry Center. You can get more information, and perhaps some
information about trail conditions, from the Skinny Ski website: Address, Map & DirectionsCloquet Forestry Center 175 University Road, Cloquet, MN 55720 For a map & directions to Cloquet Forestry Center, click here |
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