Tracker Gathering Workshop
Nate Young & Leah Olivotti
Leah's email: leaholivotti@gmail.com
Fast-Track Your Tracking Skills:
Understanding Tracks and Track Patterns
Date: Sunday, September 6
Time: 9am - 4pm
Tuition: $80. Book directly with Leah
Location: The Lodge and The Great Outdoors
Maximum Participants: 12 per workshop
Reservations: are a must to guarantee availability... contact Leah by email.
Meeting Spot: Meet Leah and Nathan in The Lodge at 8:45am.
Fast-Track Your Tracking Skills
Understanding Tracks and Track Patterns
There’s a particular kind of satisfaction that comes from recognizing a track and understanding the story behind it. This workshop is built to help you develop that ability in a clear, structured way. Over the course of a full day, you’ll learn how to read prints and patterns with confidence, using a system that works in any landscape.
We begin with three focused hours in the classroom, where we break down the features that define the major groups of mammals you’re most likely to encounter. You’ll study the distinguishing traits of shrews, rodents, lagomorphs, mustelids, canines, felines, ungulates, and several other common species. By looking closely at foot structure and the fundamentals of gait, you’ll start to see how each group leaves behind a recognizable signature. We’ll also introduce the four primary types of bird tracks, giving you a broader foundation for interpreting what you find outdoors.
The afternoon is spent in the field, applying what you’ve learned. This is where the patterns become clearer. You’ll examine tracks in real conditions, compare observations, and practice reaching solid conclusions. The goal is to help you build skills you can rely on—skills that make time in the field more engaging, more rewarding, and more fun.
This workshop offers a balance of hands‑on learning and practical structure, making it a strong starting point for beginners and a valuable refresher for those with some experience. To keep the experience focused and personal, enrollment is limited to twelve participants. Payment reserves your spot.
About Nathan
Nathan holds a Professional Track and Sign Certificate and a Level 2 Trailing certificate from Trackers Certification North America. Nathan’s background as a hunter, falconer, and fur trapper brings a hands-on common sense approach to tracking and locating wildlife on the landscape. Nathan is a teaching assistant with the Midwest Tracking Intensive and member of the Certified Wildlife Trackers Association.
Nathan lives in Indianapolis Indiana with his family, dogs, and hunting hawks. Professionally Nathan is a Firefighter/Paramedic and Pediatric Registered Nurse specializing in pediatric trauma. Nathan has a passion for adult education and has been an educator and lead instructor for 15 years teaching prehospital emergency medicine and pediatric critical care.
About Leah
Leah Olivotti is a Level 3 Track and Sign Certificate holder and has participated in evaluations across North America. She brings a dynamic blend of scientific background, field experience, and deep curiosity to her wildlife tracking practice. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Biology, Pre-Med, and Spanish from Augustana College. In addition, she is a dedicated student of Southwest Wildlife Online Tracking Training (SWOTT) and a member of the Certified Wildlife Trackers Association (CWTA).
While her primary residence is in Nashville, Tennessee, Leah splits her time between Tennessee and Illinois. Professionally, she is a multi-million dollar producing Realtor in the Nashville metro area, balancing a successful career with her passion for animal tracking and trailing and a love of the outdoors. In her free time, Leah enjoys metal detecting, bushcraft, working in her native perennial garden, and backpacking with her rescue dogs, Luna and Luci.