Feedback on our first online course – An Introduction to Tracking
We’ve had some fantastic posts in the Private Facebook group by our new students, and some wonderful feedback. We have students from the UK, The USA, South Africa, Tanzania, Australia, Germany… it’s a truly international crowd!
We asked “How are you finding the course material so far? Is it helping you to think “outside the box” a little? We are new to this too, and really hope that our program is making you think a little bit.”
Your replies were exactly what we were hoping for:
Loving it guys! Definitely thinking outside the box which is great. I love that the material covers SO many things. Mammals, birds, invertebrates, scat etc. Plus having to go out everyday and look for a specific thing is awesome. You have to go from one point of interest to another which i think is so important rather than focusing on one topic.
I also LOVED looking through the series of pics that Kersey took and identifying the tracks and signs. Reading through everyone’s ideas and opinions on what it might be and understanding WHY it’s this or that. Have learnt so much already and definitely growing more confident through the first week. WELL DONE!!
I love it so far. I am looking forward to when I can get home after this evacuation so I can start to really dig into it.
I really appreciate how the different routines guide you to look at the environment around you from different perspectives. It really helps to build a greater concept of the local ecological patterns… learning to track on a different scale, beyond footprints. I also am enjoying this little community, and learning alongside each other. So grateful to be a part of this!
It’s really really enjoyable and challenging at the same time
It is forcing me to look at things differently and observe some of the things I wouldn’t usually
It’s also forcing me to put a little more focus on my bird tracks which is not my strong point
I’m so enthusiastic about! I’m pushing myself to look at things and learn every day. I stay under the sun at 35 °C scratching my head to identify which track is, left or right, front or rear; and I got my girlfriend involved: she shows me tracks to analyze and she encourages me to get better. I dive into the material and study it constantly. I like how it connects the tracks with ecological relationships and how you need to understand them first to be able to track, from the topography, the weather patterns, the soil type etc… basically the ecosystem whole. That’s what I love. Observe, record, understand, improve your knowledge. I like the way every day we got involved in a new “exercise” and we need to figure it out. I like the ID challenge with the pictures. I test myself everyday but with a nice vibe.
I really appreciate how accessible you guys are. I’ve taken a variety of online courses, including Nature Based ones with other experts and Nat Geo. You both are “real” here. You both respond quickly, share enthusiasm, post pictures in real time I can learn from and have done a great job of creating a community of learners through this site. It’s fabulous.
Sponsorship Update!
Your donations in September are illustrated in the bar charts, below.
The one on the left is in South African rand, and the one on the right is in US dollars. We will be transferring R2,472 ($150) to Louis Liebenberg and CyberTracker for his Master Tracker Fund. This money helps Louis to travel to remote locations and identify indigenous and local tracking experts. He works with these people to help bring out and honor their abilities, which makes them want to pass it on to the younger generations. This money was donated directly by you, and through purchases of our Life-Sized Animal Tracks Posters.
With your generous donation, we will be sponsoring Zanele Siwele, a Shangaan woman who has been a temporary worker in our camp for about 3 years, on course 1, and purchasing materials to support her journey. These include a printed copy of the manual, and data for her phone. We will need to set her up with an email account, and a Facebook account, so she can participate. We are holding off on doing this right away, though, because she’s currently studying with us to become an Apprentice Nature Guide on Lee’s Nature Guide Training FGASA course (and her books were generously donated by FGASA)! Zanele is already a full tracker, with a Track and Sign Level 2 and a Trailing Level 1 sponsored by Kersey’s company, Original Wisdom, but we want to give her every opportunity to make the most out of her life for herself and her two children.
And, last but not least, R330 ($20) was raised for Rare Species Conservation. We will be donating this to our local anti-poaching and conservation unit, in the Balule Private Nature Reserve. You can also donate directly to them with the details below.
Account Name: The Balule Community and Anti-Poaching Trust
Bank: ABSA
Branch: Hoedspruit
Branch Code (Universal): 63 20 05
Account Number: 40 9507 8765
Account Type: Current Account
Please just put IAN somewhere in the reference when making a donation. The treasurer will issue you
with a s18 tax certificate on receipt of the donation.
Ian Nowak, General Manager / Head Warden, Balule Nature Reserve
SA phone and WhatsApp +27 038 384 5190
E-mail gm@balulenr.co.za
Website http://balulenr.co.za/
You can learn more about our sponsorship options from our sponsorship page, and you can purchase a set of Life-Sized Animal Tracks Posters for shipping from Postnet to Postnet within South Africa from our shop (sorry, we can’t ship internationally, yet).
Thanks for a great September, and we are looking forward to October!
-Lee and Kersey, your Tracker Mentors
