Tracking as Resistance

Trail Information

Mass Audubon's Pleasant Valley Wildlife Sanctuary,

Mileage:  Yokun Trail to Beaver Lodge Trail 1.5 miles

Elevation: 150 ft

Program Description

During this workshop we will learn how to track animals, plants, and different spaces of heart and mind through various forms of education and engagement. We will begin with a 1- hour indoor introduction to tracking and learn why it is so closely tied to the lives of marginalized folks and our ancestral relationships with the land. We will introduce a few species commonly found in the county and provide a basic background for how to identify them. The remaining hours of the workshop will be spent out in the field where we will work with different mindfulness and movement exercises to encourage an arrival into our parasympathetic nervous system to awaken our senses and tap into a heightenined awareness of the land. We will notice what we notice and share the experience.

Accessibility

The nature of this workshop will include time spent sitting indoors followed by active crouching, walking, sitting, and hiking through the landscape. Depending on the weather there may be snow or ice that will require the use of snowshoes and/or microspikes. Always be prepared for wet weather with waterproof boots and clothing. We are working on ways to make this workshop accessible to all who wish to attend. Please reach out if you have suggestions on how we can achieve this. (Raei@the-rusty-anvil.land)

This learning space is intended to uplift people of color and folks within the LGBTQ+ community. All who understand this need are welcome.