Animal tracking class offered Saturday near Sandpoint

Snowshoe hare tracks at Mount Spokane. (Rich Landers / The Spokesman-Review)

WILDLIFE WATCHING -- An Animal Tracking class taught by wilderness and wildlife expert Brian Baxter is set for Saturday, Feb. 6, near Sandpoint.

The one-day class is scheduled for 9 a.m. starting at the North Idaho College at Sandpoint parking lot.

Preregistration is required through NIC Workforce Training Center, (208) 769-3333.  For more info, email workforcetraining@nic.edu or visit www.nic.edu/wtc .  Cost: $75.

Learn to decipher the subtle clues that wildlife leave behind in the form of trails, prints, rubs, hair, smells and behaviors as they silently creep through the woods, fields, and wetlands. In this field-oriented class, students will learn from an experienced wildlife researcher on how to key into habitat to search, discover and interpret sign such as the dance of a red fox across a field in snow, the tail drag of a muskrat in mud, the scat of a mink in sand, and the track of a blue heron along the shorelines.

With degrees in both forestry and wildlife biology, Baxter has more than 40 years in the field and delivers an informative and fun lesson that requires a 2-mile long moderate hike.

To register, contact the training center at (208) 769-3333 or request more information at nicworkforcetraining@nic.edu or visit www.nic.edu/wtc .

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