It is with profound sadness that we share the news of Donnie Phyillaier's passing on April 21, 2026.

Donnie was a charter member and pillar of our local tracking community from its inception in 2013, and a much-beloved mentor to many of us. With nearly two decades of experience as a volunteer naturalist for the US Fish and Wildlife Service under his belt, this avid tracker frequently facilitated monthly tracking gatherings and various outreach programs on tracking for all ages. He was instrumental in starting monthly Bird Language programs in 2015 at the Minnesota Valley National Wildlife Refuge, where he served as a ongoing volunteer and mentor to MVNWR Environmental Education interns. Donnie also organized our very first local CyberTracker Track & Sign certification in April 2016, inviting in Evaluator Nate Harvey to assess our group and support our growth. He was one of four MWTP members to receive their Level III certificates at that first certification. Donnie also joined the first Midwest Trailing workshops and certifications with Kersey Lawrence in Minnesota & Wisconsin from 2017-2019, earning his Level II in Trailing. 

Donnie carried a whole culture with him: from his gentle, welcoming way of bringing new and inexperienced naturalists into the fold and inviting their curiosity, to his steadfast encouragement and calm counsel of our more seasoned trackers. He never made anyone feel foolish for asking a "silly" question. On the contrary, he shared his own stories of being perplexed -- of being humbled again and again by raccoon masquerading as fisher, otter, or bobcat; of holding a tracking question for over a decade before the answer fell into place -- and modeled the patient dedication and honed senses of a lifelong student of nature. He dedicated his waking moments to observation of animals, arriving at work early to sit and observe the birds and other wildlife around his office building. 

Not only did Donnie dedicate his life to understanding animal behavior, but also to sharing what he learned to help others. Through his storytelling and questions, he inspired countless folks of all ages to slow down and appreciate the things they had never thought to see: from the mating displays of Red-Wing Blackbirds at the cattail reeds, to the presence of common plantain and its use to counter the itch of mosquito bites. Donnie was profoundly generous with his knowledge, continually taking newer members of the tracking community under his wing and offering them "assignments": books to read, documentaries to watch, and behavior patterns to observe in wildlife, to pique their interest and develop their curiosity about the natural world. 

Our last interaction with our beloved mentor was the April 18 Cedar Creek Undergraduate Student Workshop, where he led a group in observing animal language on the landscape. His unperturbable, humble way of being, tremendous breadth and depth of knowledge, and deep compassion and commitment to passing along this art and skill left an indelible mark on everyone who knew him, and on the very culture of our community. 

Donnie, we love you, and we'll miss you tremendously. Your memory is a blessing. And a track is always raccoon until proven otherwise. 

Click here to read the obituary and leave a note for his surviving kin.