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 2016, inviting in Evaluator Nate Harvey to assess our group and support our growth; he also joined the first Midwest Trailing workshops and certifications with Kersey Lawrence in Minnesota & Wisconsin from 2017-2019. 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 depth of knowledge, and captivating stories of animal observations from Oklahoma to Minnesota inspired trackers of all ages. 

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.