What Is Berkshire Keeping Track (BKT)?

How are BKT wildlife monitors trained?

How does Keeping Track fit into the
large land protection picture?

What's happening now?

What's next?

What if I want to sign up?

Information about the 2008 training

Application
(to be trained as a wildlife monitor)

Other Keeping Track group & connections

2006 Event

2007 Event

What Is Berkshire Keeping Track?

Berkshire Keeping Track is a program where volunteers are trained by Sue Morse of Keeping Track® to read and document animal sign. Our first class of trainees graduated from the Keeping Track® training program in May 2007.

The training includes six full-day training workshops in the field plus two classroom sessions. Most of the training is done on weekends, and the training is spread out over a year so that trainees have experience in all seasons. (check out the 2008 schedule)

Now trained, these volunteers have formed three teams - North, Central, and South County Teams - and are taking to the woods to gather data on focal mammal species' use of habitat in and around Berkshire County.

Our host organization, Berkshire Environmental Action Team will maintain a database of all this data and share it with scientists, educators, and land protection organizations to help protect wildlife species and important wildlife habitat and linkages in and around Berkshire County.

We now have second group of volunteers starting training. If you are interested please explore this site for more information.

return to top

How are volunteers trained?

Berkshire Keeping Track (BKT) wildlife monitors are trained in the Keeping Track® program run by nationally recognized naturalist, habitat identification specialist, and photographer Sue Morse.

The trainees will be taught a scientifically-based data collection methodology so that they can prepare track and sign surveys.

Training will include: detection and interpretation of tracks and signs of agreed upon focal species for the Berkshires, conservation biology and how it relates to data collection and land protection, forest ecology and plant identification and what it tells us about how Berkshire species use local habitat, 'search imaging' (Sue Morse's technique for predictably looking in the right places and finding wildlife signs), and an introduction to science-based field studies. The Keeping Track Project and Data Management Protocol will provide standards for data collection. The database will be maintained Berkshire Environmental Action Team (BEAT).

return to top

Permanently protected land in and around Berkshire County

How does Keeping Track fit into the large land protection picture?

Berkshire Environmental Action Team is working with many partner organizations to look at existing and potential linkages among large protected areas in and around Berkshire County as well as looking at where the greatest threat of development disrupting those existing linkages.

We are also looking a where our transportation network intersects those linkages with an eye to decreasing the impact of our road network on ecosystem connectivity.

return to top

What's happening now?

Our first group of BKT wildlife monitors completed the Keeping Track® training and additional Map & Compass training. We had a wonderful graduation ceremony and potluck dinner, complete with Certificates, not only for those who completed training, but for spouses and partners as well - for "living with scat, skeletons and other wildlife paraphernalia".

Our first group has formed three Teams - North County, Central County, and South County - although everyone gets together for various activities and trainings and anyone may go out with a different Team as well. Each Team is scouting out areas to set up transects with high likelihood of finding sign of habitat usage by our focal species.

We have a new group of volunteers who started training in January 2008.

return to top

What's next?

We anticipate accepting applications for our third group of monitors to start training in the fall of 2009. Would you like to take action to ensure that wildlife always has a place in and around the Berkshires? If so, please consider helping out with this program.

If you would like to be trained to be a Berkshire Keeping Track wildlife monitor, here are a few things to consider:

• To complete the training you must be able to be outside in the cold and snow all day.
• You must be able to hike up and down uneven terrain - the groups moves very slowly, looking at track and sign, so the pace is not strenuous.
• You will be asked to commit to approximately one weekend day per month for training, and about the same for monitoring for at least two years?
• You will be asked to pay part of the cost of training. If you cannot afford the entire amount, are you willing to help raise the money?

Have questions? - Please, first take a look at the Keeping Track® website for more information about the training.

Still interested? - Then contact Berkshire Keeping Track Coordinator, Joan Cousins, if you are interested in helping with this program or in being trained as a Berkshire Keeping Track wildlife monitor. Send Joan an email. She would love to hear from you.

return to top