About This Event
Join the Minnesota Wildlife Tracking Project for this two-day long “mock evaluation” of your track and sign interpretation skills! Modeled on the CyberTracker Certification system, this Practice Assessment offers a low-cost, low-pressure opportunity to learn in a supportive environment, receive detailed feedback, and get a sense of how you may perform on a CyberTracker Certification should you choose to take one.
Expect an immersive experience; there will be around 50 questions at one or more locations in and around the Twin Cities Metro Area from approximately 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM on Saturday and 8:00 AM to 2:00 PM on Sunday. Like in CyberTracker Certifications, rulers and field guides can be consulted in between rounds of questions, but not while actively working to identify track and sign. The process is not typically physically demanding, but plan to be outside during the entire assessment and possibly walk up to 2 or 3 miles each day. Dress for the weather and pack whatever you need to support your comfort and learning in the field (food and water, an outdoor cushion to sit/kneel on if you wish, pencil and notebook, etc.)
If you have never participated in a CyberTracker Certification, you may wish to read this description and this FAQ on the Tracker Certification North America website. This Practice Assessment is NOT a CyberTracker Certification, and participants will not receive any type of certificate. This is a practice opportunity.
Participants who do exceptionally well on the Practice Assessment will be offered a scholarship for a future CyberTracker Certification.
Registration
Registration is limited to 10 participants. We will select applicants whose participation we believe will advance the club's mission to promote the art and science of wildlife tracking. We are interested in applicants who are new to the CyberTracker teaching and assessment style; as well as those actively involved with the club. We encourage everyone who is interested to apply.
To apply for a spot in the Practice Assessment, please fill out this form. For full consideration, please complete this application by February 28. We will begin accepting applicants and sending confirmations by March 1. We will continue to review applications on a rolling basis after March 1 until the certification is filled.
Tuition will be due two weeks after you receive confirmation. This program is offered on a sliding tuition scale of $100 - $150. No one will be turned away for lack of funds.
Facilitator Bios
Jonathan Poppele holds CyberTracker Track & Sign Specialist certificates in two regions: Southern California and Central Minnesota. He is the founder of the Minnesota Wildlife Tracking Project and author of Animal Tracks of the Midwest and Bird Tracks: A Guide to 55 North American Species. Jon has participated in 24 CyberTracker Track & Sign Certifications with eleven different evaluators on two continents.
Maria Wesserle is a forager and wildlife tracker from Minneapolis, Minnesota. She has spent over 15 years organizing and teaching nature programs in the Upper Midwest. Through her business Four Season Foraging, she offers foraging and tracking workshops, creating spaces where people can learn to interact with urban and rural environments in meaningful and sustainable ways. She holds a Professional Track & Sign certification from CyberTracker North America.
Kirsten Welge guides shinrin-yoku (forest bathing) and wildlife tracking classes through her business, Natural Awareness. She holds CyberTracker Track & Sign III certificates from Central Minnesota, Central Texas, and South Africa. She also holds CyberTracker certificates in Wildlife Trailing III in Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Southern California, and Trailing II in South Africa. She is the first person to receive a 100% on a Minnesota Wildlife Tracking Project Practice Assessment.