Track & Sign Workshop & Certification
Program description
This one-day workshop and certification offers an accelerated learning environment to advance your skills at recognizing and interpreting wildlife tracks and sign in a small learning group, guided by one of the top trackers in the country. It is offered for attendees of the 2026 Northeast Natural History Conference as a Workshop/Field Trip option. Please register for the 2026 NENHC conference (https://www.eaglehill.us/NENHC_2026/NENHC2026.shtml) and select this workshop option on the registration form before you complete your sign-up and payment here (or reach out to trackingconnection@gmail.com about availability for taking part in the certification but not the conference). We will spend the day visiting some of Burlington's wildlife tracking hotspots, where we'll be immersed in a diversity of wildlife sign, and you'll have the opportunity to make an individual assessment of at least 30 tracking questions (e.g., Who left this track? What is this sign?). The format (and that little bit of pressure to come up with your own answer) will help shine a light on your process for interpreting wildlife sign and your areas for growth, within a supportive learning environment of fellow naturalists. In taking up each question, we'll discuss why/why not for all of the possible answers until all participants are in agreement. If you've never seen the track or sign before, you can come up with any guess and then learn the details through this discussion process. The certification is led by Daniel Hansche (www.spurwander.com) and hosted by Sophie Mazowita of Tracking Connection and the Burlington Mammal Tracking Project. It's suitable for all experience levels and rewards skilled trackers with an internationally-recognized certification (visit www.trackercertification.com to learn more). Registration cost is $150. If that cost poses a barrier, the Tracker Certification nonprofit org. encourages applying for financial aid (application deadline March 15): https://trackercertification.com/financial-access/ Details: -Program runs 8:30 a.m. to approx. 4:30 p.m. Friday, April 17 -Meet and carpool from the conference site (the Double Tree by Hilton Hotel) -Participants are responsible for their own food and field gear -We typically don't walk a great distance during a certification workshop (think a mile at most), but we will be 100% outdoors and often on uneven terrain to access animal track and sign
Booking Policies
Refund Policy: Program fees are refundable (minus a $10 administrative fee) if cancellation notice is given more than 30 days before the workshop date. Cancellation notice should be given by email to trackingconnection@gmail.com. If you withdraw your registration within 30 days of the program date, the program fee will only be refundable in the event that someone else signs up in your place. We will keep a participant waitlist but make no guarantees that we can fill your spot. Cancellation & Rescheduling: The provider reserves the right to cancel, postpone, or reschedule any part of this program for any reason. Likely reasons would be instructor illness or injury, or adverse weather conditions impacting safety and/or wildlife activity and tracking conditions. In the event of a postponement due to instructor availability or weather conditions, we will work with participants to transfer their registration to a new workshop date within 3 months of the originally-scheduled date. In the event that an alternative field date cannot be scheduled, participants may be offered equivalent content in the form of an online classroom session, a recording, or another format. In the case of a full program cancellation by the provider, participants will receive a refund.
Available spots