The Clues Animals Leave Behind: Wildlife Tracking with Jess Applin

Date/Time
Date(s) - Feb 24th, 2024
10:00 am - 3:30 pm

Location
Fare-Thee-Well Wholeness Center

Event leader, Jess Applin, crouching in the snow next to coyote tracks with her arms stretched marking the size of the animal in the forest. Experienced tracker and HLT staff member, Jess Applin, will lead two 2.5 hour sessions of wildlife tracking and reading the landscape. Jess will take a small group along the trail network at Fare-Thee-Well in Huntington, home to four vernal pools and rich wildlife habitats. We will start with an introduction to basic animal track identification indoors and then will be led by Jess into the woods to learn about animal behavior, ecology, and habitat features.

Moving at the speed of the slowest member of the group, we will go on and off trail between .5 and 2 miles, stopping to examine tracks. Depending on weather conditions, hikers will be provided with snowshoes or ice grippers to traverse the forested trails.

Together, we will uncover the greater story of the wildlife around us and gather the big-picture narrative by reading the landscape. After our session, we will come together indoors to reflect on our experience around the fire and get cozy with warm beverages!

All ages are welcome to join this event! Minors must be accompanied by an adult. Due to the sensitive ecological nature of this event, we ask that you leave non-service dogs at home.

Sessions

Choose from one of two 2.5-hour sessions.

Morning Session: 10 am – 12:30 pm
Afternoon Session: 1 pm – 3:30 pm

The rain date for this event is Saturday, February 24th.

About Jess Applin

Jess Applin

Jess Applin is currently the Land Conservation and Stewardship Manager at Hilltown Land Trust (HLT). Jess holds over ten years of tracking experience and has taught wildlife tracking ID in the past at HLT, The Nature Conservancy, and the Wild and Scenic Westfield River Committee. In addition to Jess’s involvement at HLT, she works with the Berkshire Wildlife Linkage. Jess will soon be celebrating their ten years of effort to increase conservation efforts of crucial parcels of land connecting wildlife across forests in Western Massachusetts.

Access Info

Although we will move at the pace of the slowest member of our group, this is a rugged winter program, with the potential for snow cover and off-trail travel.

Bathroom: Rustic outdoor bathhouse with two steps leading inside.
Distance Traveled: 1/2 to 2 miles, depending on group interest and abilities
Fragrances: To be respectful of those with allergies and environmental sensitivities, we ask that you please refrain from wearing strong fragrances.
Parking: Unmarked parking spots in a compacted dirt parking lot.
Public transportation: Public transit is not available to Fare-Thee-Well. Contact us if you are interested in coordinating a carpool.
Seating: Wooden chairs will be provided indoors during the introduction and by the fire.
Surfaces: One wooden step at the back entrance of the meeting house, two wooden steps leading to the outhouse, and four wooden steps leading to porch front entrance of the meeting house. Compacted dirt parking lot, on and off-trail forested terrain, snow and or ice depending on weather conditions, potential for mud.

We’re happy to discuss your access needs for this event! For questions and accommodation requests, please reach out to Juliette at juliette@hilltownlandtrust.org or (413) 628-4485.

Cost

The suggested donation for this program is $0-25. Your donation supports future programs like this at HLT.

To become a member of Hilltown Land Trust for the year, make a gift in any amount to support our efforts to conserve and care for ecologically valuable land in the Hilltowns.