Wolf Tracker Conservation Training: The Teanaway Pack

Saturday, April 28, 2018 from 10:30-5:30 along the Teanaway River near Cle Elum, WA with Prerequisite

Previous wildlife tracking program with us is required, or significant trackers training elsewhere; also necessary to be in excellent walking shape over uneven terrain.

Background on Wolf Trackers:

Wolf Trackers is a project of the Conservation College with a goal to gather hunters and sportsmen, ranchers and farmers, wildlife scientists and conservationists, dog lovers and animal rights activists among others, and bringing them together to increase knowledge about wolves in hopes of helping to balance wolf ecology policies in North America. Update:  We at the Wolf College feel the pendulum has swung too far against wolves in the past couple of years, and we want to help to bring the pendulum back to center.

During workshops we review recent changes to wolf politics and ecology, review wildlife tracking methods, and then caravan to our tracking sites where we will focus on seeing all aspects “sign” important to wolf tracking. In this regard, we will prepare ourselves for upcoming actions to support wolves and educate our fellow citizens. We also assess agreements for our group, share resources, and prioritize tasks that need to be addressed between trainings.

Our current focus is to • develop wolf tracking skills, • educate ourselves with facts, • clarify goals and strategies, • train ourselves to develop conflict resolution skills for internal group function and for dealing with the public, • educate our constituencies, the public and politicians with facts about wolf ecology and mythology, • develop standard operating procedures for volunteer work, • volunteer services when requested, such as acting as citizen volunteers for wolf monitoring programs, • consider requests from hunting guides, ecotourist and environmental organizations, government agencies, shepherds and cattlemen who would like assistance for on-the-ground wildlife assessments in their areas of concern.

Participation agreements: • Animal lovers in the group agree to bring compassion for those who fear wolves, and we understand that like wolves, sportsmen bring balance to wildlife, and have been some of the most successful conservationists in American history. In addition to wolves, sheep and cattle also need to be protected, especially on private lands. • Sportsmen in the group agree to continue a richtradition of conservation, supporting scientific wildlife management, and we consider wolves who prey on healthy large game populations as a good challenge rather than an impediment to hunting. • Ranchers and shepherds in the group agree to bring pride for the hard work it takes to make modifications allowing for wolves on the edges of rural areas, and also come willing to discuss the impact of public land grazing on our shared natural resources including wildlife. • Everyone who attends a Wolf Trackers Training can express his or her opinion, while also respecting the opinions of others. No matter your background – wildlife photographer, fisherman, hunting guide, cattleman, sheep producer, hiker, backpacker or animal rights activist – we welcome your input.

All Revenues to Max Davis Scholarships:

• $95 contribution

Registration: Who & How

Our weekend workshops are designed for adults, but youth are also welcome to register with an enrolled parent or guardian.

Credit/Debit Card Registration Option: Just call us at 425-248-0253 and we will take your registration securely over the phone.

Check/Mail Registration Option: Send with a check donation payable to the Wolf College, 1026 14th St. SW, Puyallup WA 98371 with participant name(s), phone number, email address, age of any minors, and any allergies or health restrictions we should know about.

Or Use PayPal to register via secure online donation with a credit/debit card or via direct withdrawal from your bank account. Use the link below (might not be visible if you are using “reader view” on your phone or other device) or sign into paypal.com and “send money” to our email address: (we’ll get back to you with any additional information we may need)

Email us to be put on our our list for this program in the future. We always keep your information absolutely private, and will never share it.

Refund Policy: Standard deposits ($75 for day programs, $175 for overnight programs) are not refundable unless we don’t accept your application. If you cancel for any reason, you may receive a full credit good through the following calendar year on appropriate and available programs listed on our schedule, although an additional deposit may be required to secure your spot in the future program. If a program you sign up for is canceled and not rescheduled at a time you can attend, you may receive a full refund except in case of natural (weather, geologic, etc) disasters, government shutdowns, conflicts or curfews, or other unforeseen emergencies making it impossible for staff and/or attendees to reach or use program locations, in which case all payments made will be held by us without expiration date for your future use in appropriate/available programs of your choice. No refund, nor credit, is given if a participant is asked to leave a program for inappropriateness as determined by our kids, youth and adult agreements for participation. 

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Preparation

Please prepare as you normally would for a hike, including snacks, lunch, water bottle, 10 essentials, etc., but especially with appropriate clothing including rain gear and waterproof footwear. Also, bring along a set of binoculars, digital camera, and if you don’t have a birding field guide yet and wish to purchase one, we recommend: Wildlife of the Pacific Northwest by David Moskowitz, among others.

If you would like to learn to a more advanced level and have time to really practice your skills, please enroll in our 5 Day Summer Course: Tracking Wolf Country: From Birds to Big Critters