Logging in, getting out

Those readers who enjoyed Ed Wesely’s “River Talk” column last week will not be surprised to find my thoughts here today. Ed has honored me with an invitation to share this space.

In upcoming weeks, we will lay down individual tracks as we offer alternating perspectives on the natural resources we encounter along the Upper Delaware River.

Who shares this home with us? Winter is a wonderful time to make acquaintance with the animals leaving mysterious marks of their presence. Tracking is the practice of studying the evidence laid into snow, mud and sand by hoof, paw and claw. Signs of animal activity may include scat, odors, feathers and claw marks. Skilled trackers compile such clues to establish migration patterns, discern essential habitat needs and more.

But you needn’t be an expert tracker to appreciate the evidence all about. “Reading tracks, scat and other animal signs can really enrich your experiences when you are out and about in our local environs,” notes experienced tracker John Jose of the Pike County Conservation District. Jose advises heading out soon after a dusting of snow has fallen, providing excellent tracking opportunities.

As I walked along an ice-laden lane freshened with snow on Valentine’s Day, I came across signs of human activity. Scrawled into the snow was a heart and the words, “Bill loves Sue forever.”

My dog Bu pattered past this romantic declaration without a glance. But he was providing his own set of information. Much can be learned about gait patterns and the speed at which an animal has been moving from practiced study of your own dog’s tracks.

At its simplest, tracking is a matter of raising awareness of our surroundings. But high-tech tracking techniques provide new information. An example is Eagle Eye Nye’s research.

Peter Nye is director of the Endangered Species Unit at the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation. His study of eagle migration is featured on “Journey North: A Global Study of Wildlife Migration and Seasonal Change,” which provides live coverage using satellite technologies .

A similar organization, Earthspan, develops and tests new wildlife tracking technologies, conducts wildlife conservation research projects and educates children of all ages through curriculum offerings and teacher training workshops ( earthspan.org ).

In another high-tech application of tracking, the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources began an aerial deer survey of 250,000 acres of state forestland on February 13. Using an infrared camera-equipped plane, an initial section of Delaware State Forest near Promised Land State Park, Pike County, was targeted to obtain better information on white-tailed deer populations ( dcnr.state.pa.us ).

It all begins with getting out. For home-based study of tracking skills applied to your own back yard, see the Kamana program ( wildernessawareness.org ) that originated in the New Jersey Pine Barrens. Helpful books include “Tracking and the Art of Seeing” by Paul Rezendes and “Animal Tracks of New York and Pennsylvania” by Tamara Eder.

And while you’re out there, pay attention to the human tracks you see. You just might be tracking Ed or me.