February 9, 2005
Tracker guides curious hikers
Residents search for signs of animals during nature reserve hike
By Carol South
Herald contributing writer
"Tracking is an adventure - you never know what you're going to find."
Thirteen area residents participated in a quest for animal tracks Saturday morning at the Grand Traverse Natural Education Reserve. Starting from the Sabin Pond Trailhead, Paul Raphael of Suttons Bay guided the hikers through the winding trails along the Boardman River.
The group wandered slowly across the land, with the rising sun glint off the river's mist. They scanned the ground for telltale marks of animal passage, with Raphael's sharp eye discerning a range of animal activity.
"One of the things of tracking is awareness of what's around you," said Raphael, an experienced tracker and a peacemaker with the Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa and Chippewa Indians.
"Part of tracking is not just seeing tracks but other signs that an animal has been here," he added. "Look at what has been browsed on, if the tips of bushes are chewed off somebody has been eating on them."
Raphael also told participants how to distinguish domestic dog tracks from wild tracks, such as those of foxes or coyotes.
"In a domestic dog, you'll see all their claws but with foxes and coyotes you'll just see the two," he said.
The hike was part of the Grand Traverse Conservation District's Discovery Hikes series. This program is free and hikes are held throughout the year in the Reserve's 420 acres along the Boardman River. Rotary Charities and the Grand Traverse Conservation District sponsor the events. Saturday's tracking lesson was intended to be a snowshoe hike but with much of the snow melted, participants simply hiked.
Along the way, and with Raphael's help, they found evidence of deer, crow, rabbits, squirrels and raccoons as well as domestic dogs. They also discovered mink tracks and a mink den plus a collapsed rodent tunnel under the snow.
"I loved the tunnel, that was very cool - a little rodent highway," said Gerry Sell of Eastport. "I go on hikes all the time, but have not been in this particular area or program."
Sell attended the hike wishing that she had brought her ski poles to help keep her balance. Another participant loaned her a set and she navigated icy spots more steadily.
"Nature just restores a person, it's good for the soul," she added. "And you meet the most interesting people who are generous spirited."
City resident Carol Meyer has lived in Traverse City all her life and regularly hikes trails along the Boardman River. This was her first time on trails starting at the Sabin Pond Trailhead, but she attended to learn more about tracking.
"I don't know a lot about tracking beyond my own interest and observations," she said, noting that she grew up with an avid interest in nature.
Although the hikers did not see evidence of them Saturday morning, Raphael told them that he has tracked everything from bears to river otters in his outdoor ventures.
He guided the hikers on moving through the woods without disturbing the wildlife there. Raphael noted that the birds are the basic alarm system in nature, calling out and warning other animals of an intruder. Nature's early warning system will send all wildlife into hiding at least two minutes before a human being arrives in an area.
"As you learn about tracking you learn to move through the woods without setting off the bird alarms," he said. "The point is to learn the bird language, to learn to move without scaring the birds and all the other animals."
The Grand Traverse Conservation District will host another snowshoe hike on Saturday, February 12, at 9 a.m., weather permitting. Steve Largent, project director of the Boardman River Project will lead the hike, which is free. This hike will be at Rotary's East Creek Reserve; call the conservation district at 941-0960 for directions to the meeting location.