DATE: Saturday, September 13th – Sunday, September 14th, 2025
TIME: 9am-4pm. Please arrive by 8:45am and be prepared to start at 9am.
LOCATION: Linne Doran, Wilderness Awareness School’s 60-acre campus, is located about fifteen minutes outside of Duvall in the foothills of the Cascade Mountains. The physical address for Coho Ridge Parking Lot, our main parking area, is located at:
20121 320th Ave NE
Duvall, WA, 98019.
Once you get to the gravel road, you can follow these directions to that parking area. After parking, you will meet us at Cedar Lodge.
A NOTE FROM THE PROGRAM TEAM:
Thank you for registering for Wildlife Tracking Basics. We are excited to meet you! This page contains information that you will need to prepare for this program. Please read it carefully.
If you have any questions regarding your registration, please contact Wilderness Awareness School at (425) 788-1301 or [email protected]; our office hours are 8:00am,-4:00pm, Monday through Friday.
If you have any questions about registration, refunds, or transfers, please visit our Cancellation and Transfer Policy.
Sincerely,
Mark Kang O’Higgins
Lead Instructor
Shivani Gogna
Program Manager
WHAT TO EXPECT:
We will spend most of the weekend outside under covered structures regardless of the weather. When you leave your car, please bring all the food and gear you need to be out the entire day. Be prepared to dress in layers so that you can adjust easily (see attached gear list).
We strive to balance theory with hands-on practice in a safe learning environment. We ask you to turn off your electronic devices in class and to only access it for essential needs.
FACILITIES:
Our Linne Doran campus includes Cedar Lodge, our indoor classroom and meeting space, as well as several outdoor classrooms. There are porta-potties on the property. Linne Doran has limited cell reception and no internet access.
Participants are welcome to camp on our property on Saturday evening. Accommodations are rustic: there are simple campsites and potable water provided. To register, select “Optional Camping” under the Additional Options section during the registration process. Camping is at your own risk and available only for Saturday.
If you would like more modern accommodations, there are some Airbnb/VRBO type accommodations nearby, as well as a Tolt McDonald Park (20 minutes away) for large RV set-ups. We do not have space for RV’s or for campers that are larger than a standard pickup truck.
FOOD:
Food is not provided for this course. Please bring a lunch and snack food for each day. We do not have any way for you to refrigerate or heat your food, so please plan accordingly. Instruction will end by 4pm on Saturday. If you choose to camp at Linne Doran overnight, you may cook dinner/breakfast on the property. Please bring your own stove and cooking vessels, as well as a cooler if needed. There are also great restaurants in town; your instructors can give you their recommendations.
WHAT TO PACK:
Please bring the following items. This list is designed with your comfort and safety in mind and takes into account the variable weather possibilities during winter in Western Washington.
- 1-2 liters of water
- Clothing that is appropriate for the weather, for hiking, and for getting dirty! The key to being prepared is having multiple layers that you can add/remove during the day.
- Daypack for field excursions (to carry lunch, water, supplies, etc.)
- Small field notebook (“write in the rain” brand recommended)
- Pencils and pens
CAMPING GEAR:
All students who are camping Saturday night will need to provide their own camping equipment and food.
OPTIONAL TRACKING AND FIELD EQUIPMENT:
- Tape measure (~10’)
- 6” ruler with metric and English measurements
- Watch
- Compass
- Knife
- Camera
- Plastic bags for collecting specimens
- Binoculars
- Small magnifying glass
RECOMMENDED TEXTS:
- Wildlife of The Pacific Northwest: Tracking and Identifying Mammals, Birds, Reptiles, Amphibians, and Invertebrates, David Moskowitz
- Mammal Tracks and Sign 2nd Edition, Mark Elbroch
- Animal Tracking Basics, Jon Young and Tiffany Morgan
- Field Guide to Animal Tracks and Scat of California, Mark Elbroch et al.
- Practical Tracking, L. Liebenberg, A. Louw, and M. Elbroch *
- Peterson Reference Guide to the Behavior of North American Mammals, Elbroch & Rinehart
- Animal Skulls: A Guide to North American Species, Elbroch
- Bird Tracks and Sign Mark Elbroch
- Mammals of the Pacific Northwest Coast to High Cascades, Chris Maser
- Northwest Arid Lands, O’Conner Wieda
- A Field Guide to Desert Holes, Pinau Merlin
- Wolves in the Land of Salmon, Moskowitz
- Natural History of the Pacific Northwest Mountains, Daniel Mathews
- Naming Nature: The Clash Between Instinct and Science, Carol Kaesuk Yoon
- Winter World: The Ingenuity of Animal Survival, Bernd Heinrich
- Bird Feathers: A Guide to North American Species, Scott and McFarland
- Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge and the Teaching of Plants, Robin Wall Kimmerer