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On Saturday, Jan. 11, 2020, Libby Hostel will be sponsoring an animal and bird tracking class beginning at 9 a.m. The group will gather at the Kootenai Mercantile building at 316 California Ave. in Libby and enjoy a practical classroom lecture of approximately 45 minutes on the topics of spotting wildlife, and observing and identifying tracks and sign of local mammals and birds. There will be a series of handouts for all attending. The group will then head to private land field locations where they will take short hikes of less than one-mile round trip to interpret tracks and sign. The participants will also be visiting some roadside stop and hop areas to scan for wildlife and examine tracking scenarios. Class will wrap up 3 p.m.

Folks are asked to come prepared for a field day, dressed properly for conditions, with hats, gloves, winter boots, snowshoes, ski or trekking poles, lunch, water and snacks. Additionally, group members should come with full gas tanks, binoculars, cameras, a measuring tape and a pocket field guide. Participants are asked to pay a minimal fee of $30 per person payable to the sponsoring group. Libby, Montana is a strikingly beautiful area in the wintertime, full of friendly folks and a strong community spirit. The tour leader, Brian Baxter, has education and extensive field experience in wildlife research involving Canadian lynx, wolverine, fisher, pine marten and birds of prey such as boreal owls and goshawks. For more information, contact Baxter at [email protected] or (406) 291-2154.