Wildlife Track & Sign Interpretation Workshop Series
Discover the stories wildlife leave behind!
The Alberta Chapter of The Wildlife Society is excited to partner with Fiera Biological Consulting to offer a series of hands-on Wildlife Track & Sign Interpretation Workshops across Alberta!
Wildlife tracking is about much more than identifying footprints. From scat and feeding signs to marks on trees, nests, burrows, and other clues, animals leave behind fascinating evidence of their presence and behaviour. Through hands-on learning in the field, participants will develop their observation and interpretation skills, learn to recognize these signs, and gain a deeper understanding of the wildlife around them.
Whether you’re a wildlife professional looking to strengthen your field skills, a student exploring a career in wildlife, or simply someone who loves spending time outdoors, there’s a workshop for you! With three options ranging from introductory sessions to internationally recognized certification, participants can choose the experience that best suits their interests and skill level.
Choose Your Workshop:
1. Wildlife Track & Sign Discovery Workshop
Duration: 2 hours
Maximum participants: 15
Experience level: Beginner-friendly
Costs: $51 for ACTWS members, $60 for non-members
Curious about wildlife tracking? This introductory workshop is a great place to start!
Explore a local natural area and learn to recognize and interpret the signs animals leave behind. Through a series of hands-on tracking challenges, you’ll discover just how much wildlife activity is happening around us, even in familiar parks and green spaces.
You’ll learn to look more closely at your surroundings, ask questions, and use evidence to better understand the animals that share our landscapes.
Participants receive a Fiera Biological Record of Training documenting two hours of professional-level track and sign interpretation training.
2. Wildlife Track & Sign Immersion Workshop
Duration: 6 hours
Maximum participants: 15
Experience level: All levels welcome, particularly valuable for wildlife professionals and students
Costs: $170 for ACTWS members, $200 for non-members
Take your wildlife tracking skills a step further with a full day of hands-on learning in the field!
This workshop explores a larger natural area, giving participants the opportunity to examine a greater variety of wildlife tracks, signs, habitats, and landscapes.
Working through increasingly challenging tracking exercises, you’ll practise identifying wildlife evidence, testing your interpretations, and building confidence in your tracking abilities.
This is a great professional development opportunity for wildlife biologists, environmental consultants, students, naturalists, and anyone interested in improving their field identification skills.
Participants receive a Fiera Biological Record of Training documenting six hours of professional-level track and sign interpretation training.
3. Track & Sign Certification Workshop
Duration: 16 hours over 2 days
Maximum participants: 11
Experience level: All experience levels welcome
Costs: $510 for ACTWS members, $600 for non-members
Ready to put your wildlife tracking skills to the test?
This two-day workshop offers participants the opportunity to earn an internationally recognized CyberTracker Track & Sign Certification.
Led by certified evaluator Sage Raymond, with assistance from Joseph Litke, participants will work through a series of real-world tracking challenges designed to assess their ability to identify and interpret wildlife tracks and signs.
Although this is a formal assessment, it’s also an intensive learning opportunity. Each challenge is followed by discussion and feedback, helping participants better understand their strengths and identify opportunities to improve.
Participants who meet the required standard will earn CyberTracker Track & Sign Certification. Those who do not meet the certification standard will receive a Record of Training documenting 16 hours of professional training.
Participation in the Discovery or Immersion workshops is encouraged but not required.
This workshop is planned in conjunction with the 2027 ACTWS Annual Conference in Edmonton.
What Makes These Workshops Different?
These aren’t your typical classroom workshops! Learning takes place outdoors, using real wildlife tracks and signs found in the field.
Rather than simply being shown the answers, participants are encouraged to examine the evidence, make their own interpretations, and discuss their observations with the group.
There’s no pressure to get everything right. In fact, making mistakes is an important part of learning! The workshops provide a welcoming environment where participants can ask questions, challenge their assumptions, and learn from one another.
With small group sizes and plenty of hands-on practice, everyone has the opportunity to participate and receive feedback.
Explore Upcoming Workshop Opportunities:
Please note that participants must be at least 18 years of age.
REGISTER HERE.
REGISTER HERE.
REGISTER HERE.
REGISTER HERE.
Meet Your Instructors
Joseph Litke
Discovery and Immersion Workshop Instructor
Joseph Litke is a Senior Biologist and co-founder of Fiera Biological, with more than 25 years of wildlife field experience across Alberta.
Joseph helped develop the Alberta Biodiversity Monitoring Institute’s Winter Tracking Program and has spent much of his career leading field crews, collecting winter tracking data, and training professional consultants in wildlife track identification.
He holds a Track & Sign Specialist Certificate through Tracker Certification North America and has taught wildlife tracking workshops and courses for wildlife professionals and outdoor enthusiasts throughout western Canada.
Joseph is also a certified Four Seasons Hiking Guide and Interpretation Specialist through the Interpretive Guides Association.
Sage Raymond
Track & Sign Certification Workshop Instructor
Sage Raymond is a Track & Sign Specialist and Evaluator with CyberTracker North America. He is authorized to administer CyberTracker Track & Sign assessments and award certification to participants who meet the required standard.
Sage and Joseph have worked together extensively since 2021, offering a variety of wildlife track and sign training opportunities throughout Alberta.
Sage will lead the Track & Sign Certification Workshop, with Joseph assisting.
