• Excrements - species, for large mammals - character of food eaten

• Nibbled cones and nuts - approximate species

• Scratch tracks (trees trunks, forest floor cover) - species, kind of animal’s activity, for large animal - size

• Pellets - large birds - species, character of food eaten

• Remains of animals - species of victim, approximately species of a predator

• Abandoned nests and holes - approximately species (sometimes certain species)

• Abandoned shelters and rookeries - approximately species.

 

It is necessary to notice at the end of this story that all kinds of tracks and especially their combinations can tell us about events that happened in a certain place, and time when they happened. However, it is very hard to determine a time of an event, because it depends on the time of last snowfall (if we see tracks on snow), or river flow changes (if they are on a river sand), or last rainfall in a forest (if tracks are on a forest soil cover).

Some techniques can allow us to determine certain tracks’ freshness in other ways, for example, to assess footprint edges (if they are sharp or not), or to assess a color of that part of a cone that had been nibbled.  Summarizing all this information, different other observations of weather, and a character of a land cover, we can reinstall a picture of the event.   

 

Participants of the group of players must especially remember, what tracks are leaving by local animals, for example by a deer, fox, mountain lion, magpie, pheasant, and others. 

 

Before the game:  Many people from old times were pathfinders. They call animals' tracks as "The Book of Nature" and read its "pages" with unique skills of notice the smallest details of tracks even in a forest with grass and leaves “pillow” where it’s impossible to see footprints! Experienced native hunters render with remarkable accuracy the events in nature, which happened days, weeks and even months ago.  They understand and respect very much the natural decree of survival. Life in a forest gives them unique wisdom, which still very valuable and extraordinary for the majority of modern people, whether they visit natural areas once a year or living there permanently.

 

After the story about unique skills of native hunters, and for the better animals' tracks memorization it is logical to organize following game, which, at the same time, demonstrate, how valuable are these skills of "reading" the "Book of Nature" for understanding animals’ behavior, food chains in nature, and learning to respect and protect natural environment.

 

RULES

 

The practice task for small groups of 2-4 people each is to install certain situations on the Forest Glade Sheet by given “tracks”. Situations are described on cards. Participants must recognize tracks that given on cards in a pile in the middle of the circle and put their “tracks” to their Glade in accordance with the certain situation. Rather than regular tracks, players can choose wing-prints (for example, magpie leaves wing-prints on a snow during the beginning of flight), stripes, which means, that one animal towed other if it happened in their situation.  After 15-20 minutes of installation, players show their Forest Glades to each other and try to recognize situations. If this recognition is unsuccessful, players read their situations for all participants, demonstrating what tracks mean what part of the situation.

 

Good Luck!!!