It is with great excitement that we announce the opening of the new Lake Country Chapter of the Minnesota Wildlife Tracking Project! Based out of the Park Rapids and Bemidji areas, this new chapter will begin to cultivate community and programming around deep nature connection akin to what the MWTP has been promoting in the greater Twin Cities area for the past 12 years.
Robert Daun (whom you may know from intermittent drop-ins to tracking and trailing clubs, evals, and other events), Mark Fulton at Bemidji State University, and other friends with deep local knowledge are working together to start offering programs in the coming months. The intention is to start with a few individual events and evolve into a regular monthly club meeting, similar to tracking club in the Twin Cities.
In the early stages, the Lakes Chapter would love occasional help from any Metro Chapter facilitators who want to journey up to the northwoods and see what the bears, bobcats, wolves and other folks have been up to with us. With time, the Lakes Chapter will hopefully build a retinue of their own as more locals get involved, though folks from the cities are always invited.
Let us know and we can work out hosting as needed for travel. There are currently some proposed dates out to Neilson-Spearhead Nature Preserve, which are awaiting confirmation. Future events will appear in the MWTP newsletter once they’re on the calendar. In addition, there are some tentative plans with Tamarack National Wildlife Refuge and Itasca State Park, as well as a request from Winona LaDuke to teach tracking to the White Earth Nation youth. We'll share more info as these move forward.
Thank you all for your support and for celebrating with us! We’re excited for this new chapter of the MWTP!
Want to get involved?
Contact Robert Daun
<robertjdaun@gmail.com>
612-708-4754
When human traffic is minimal, otters heavily use the trails at Neilson-Spearhead Nature Preserve around Spearhead Lake, Bemidji, MN.
Tracking otters at Spearhead Lake, Bemidji, MN.
Trailing a coyote across the swamp in Park Rapids, MN.
A coyote track from the above trail.
Robert Daun tracking in Lake Country.
A weathered bobcat trail from Park Rapids, MN.