About the Course
Wildlife Tracking is the art and science of interpreting signs of wildlife activity in the landscape. Through the careful observation of tracks and the multitude of subtle patterns left behind by mammals, birds, insects, reptiles, amphibians, wind and more, we can learn to see beyond the merely human terrain that often dominates our attention and wake up to the vast and vibrant lives of the countless creatures around us. Whether you are an avid naturalist, hunter, hiker, or a curious lover of the outdoors, this course will expand your capacity to see and connect with the landscape around you.
This course is designed for beginners, but both the classroom and field exercises are packed with opportunities for intermediate and advanced students to broaden their experience and refine their skill.
With the exception of our expedition programs, most of our courses are hosted within a 30 mile radius of Charlottesville, VA. The diverse nature of our programs is best served by a constellation of sites that includes both public and private land. To protect the safety and privacy of our host site partners as well as the safety of our participants, we do not disclose the addresses or coordinates of our sites online. Upon registering for a course — or no later than 2 weeks prior to its start date — all participants will receive details and directions to the public, pre-course meetup location, from which we will caravan to the host site.
Instructor(s)
Erin (Soupy) Campbell has been a mentor, teacher, facilitator and wilderness guide for more than 20 years, serving as a lead mentor at Living Earth School for more than a decade. With a focus on wilderness skills, nature connection, wildlife tracking, and carpentry, she strives to integrate hands-on skill development with a commitment to heart centered connection and community care. While her diverse background includes training with some of the most respected wildlife trackers and naturalists in North America, she also has a masters in Conflict Transformation, teaches restorative justice in the community and at the graduate level, and works as a facilitator of restorative justice cases in central Virginia. We are proud to have her in the mix at SRI, as she brings the kind of integrative imagination for human flourishing that resides at the heart of the Stone River vision. An avid mountain biker, paddler, and hiker, she lives in central VA in a tiny house she built herself, and operates Carpentry Coach LLC, running hans-on workshops and helping homeowners accomplish their own projects.
Erin (Soupy) Campbell
