Los Padres NF Specialist Certification 11/04/2018

Casey McFarland and I conducted a Track and Sign Specialist Certification in the Los Padres National Forest in California on November 3-4, 2018.

We saw the tracks of 26 species, including 14 mammals, 6 birds, 3 herps, 1 invertebrate, and signs left by someone shooting a shotgun at a tree and the tracks of an ATV. We spent the first day tracking around a bridge where we tracks of kangaroo rats, wood rats, cottontails, and a bear scat with several yellow jackets in it. Day 2 was spent tracking around Nettle Spring down Apache Canyon Road. We found tracks and sign of black bears, chipmunks, and numerous other species. See the photos below.

A big thanks to Rob Speiden and Marcus Reynerson for organizing this certification. I also want to thank Jerry Maserjian and Natalie Buckley for helping out. While nobody received a specialist during this certification, several people were very close and it was an educational weekend for all of us.