We heard children saying, "This is fun,” “Can we do this again," “Something just popped out of the snow,” and “I found blood”!

Volunteers from Citizens for Conservation and environmental educator, Cyndi Duda led students and their caregivers on a Leave No Child Inside-inspired hike at Citizens for Conservation owned Flint Creek Savanna to find and identify mammal tracks. Participants bundled in their warmest snow gear, braved the chilly winds, and spent about 45 minutes outside walking to the oak savanna identifying footprints of fox, coyote, squirrel, skunk, and deer. They saw vole tunnels in the freshly fallen snow, and a curious vole peaked out of the snow to see what the commotion was all about! Under a one hundred year old oak, a student found fresh blood in the snow that was speculated came from a fresh kill by a raptor since he found no tracks around the stain.

Once back inside the toasty farm house, attendees enjoyed viewing and touching various mammal pelts to reinforce the connection between the viewed tracks and the mammal that made the track. In addition, discussions ensued regarding the replicated mammal skull and whether the mammal was a herbivore, omnivore, or carnivore. Students then eagerly made plaster footprints using newly purchased silicon molds. While the plaster dried, they made personal field guides for future animal tracking; children drew examples of various animal tracks, used footprint stamps to decorate their guide, and included scientific data for their earlier outdoor tracking. Animal Tracks was the first in many Youth Education classes for Citizens for Conservation’s yearlong 40th anniversary celebration. Upcoming classes include the Great Backyard Bird Count on February 19 at Citizens Park and Give a Hoot for Owls on March 12 at the Barrington Area Library. Reservations are required and additional class details can be found at www.citizensforconservation.org. Volunteers are always welcomed to attend our Saturday winter workdays and can call 847-382-SAVE to learn more. For information regarding the local Leave No Child Inside initiative, visit www.funoutside.org.