Monahans TX Specialist Certification 2/13/2022

On February 12-13, 2022, Dave Scott with the Earth Native Wilderness School hosted a Track and Sign Specialist Certification at Monahans Sand Hills State Park in Texas. At Specialist Certifications, participants have to answer 57 very difficult questions over 2 days. Two evaluators (1 local and 1 external) are present at Specialist Certifications to ensure reliability and consistency. Casey McFarland served as external evaluator.

Monahans is an amazing location filled with sand dunes and shinnery oaks with a diverse array of wildlife. Despite some strong winds the morning of the first day, we managed to find some great tracks and sign. Some favorite finds of the weekend include numerous insects skewered on sharp twigs by a loggerhead shrike, badger feeding signs, and some beautiful great-horned owl tracks. All told, we saw the tracks of 23 species, including 8 mammals, 8 birds, 2 invertebrates, and several marks made by wind and weather. See the photos below.

While none of the participants earned their specialist certification this time, congratulations to Ann Hunkins who missed specialist by just a single question.