Level 3 CyberTracker certified tracker and author Janet Pesaturo joins us to discuss:
-her background
-her start in tracking
-why she loves tracking and using game cams
-what is involved in tracking and using game cams
-her book Camera Trapping Guide: Tracks, Sign, and Behavior of Eastern Wildlife
-Bobcat behavior and lifestyle
-Fisher behavior and lifestyle
-Bear tracking and making behavior
-animal nature, animal consciousness, human philosophy of animal consciousness, the nature of science, and the history of science
-what she has learned from tracking and using game cams


About Janet: "A Massachusetts native, Janet admired the flora and fauna of her suburban surrounds from an early age. A seventh grade teacher inspired her interest in life sciences, which she has pursued in a variety of ways over the past several decades. She has a Medical Degree, and practiced psychiatry for about 10 years before leaving to raise her children full-time. In 2004, she launched Animal Trackers of New England (formerly Nashaway Trackers), a group of wildlife enthusiasts who tracked for fun, and occasionally provided data to local conservation organizations. Soon thereafter, she began using trail cameras to learn about wildlife behavior. In 2013, she completed a master’s degree in Conservation Biology, and in 2014 she earned a Level III CyberTracker certificate. Janet has led many tracking walks, and has given several presentations on tracking and camera trapping. In 2018, her first book, Camera Trapping Guide: Tracks, Sign, and Behavior of Eastern Wildlife, was published. She currently authors this blog, Winterberry Wildlife."


Contact Michael:
1. ccerppodcast@aol.com
2. http://www.goldams.com
3. https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-gold-2883921/
4. https://www.facebook.com/groups/1152144714995033/

Join us at CCERP on Facebook! https://www.facebook.com/groups/1152144714995033/



Show notes
1. Camera Trapping Guide: Tracks, Sign, and Behavior of Eastern Wildlife: https://www.amazon.com/Camera-Trapping-Guide-Behavior-Wildlife/dp/0811719065/

2. Animal tracks: https://bear-tracker.com/mammals.html

3. Massachusetts Audubon Society: https://www.massaudubo

4. Tracker Certification CyberTracker North America: http://trackercertification.com/history/

5. CyberTracker: https://www.cybertracker.org

6. Mark Elbroch: https://markelbroch.com

7. Mark Elbroch books: https://www.amazon.com/s?k=mark+elbroch&ref=nb_sb_noss_2

8. Bernd Heinrich
a. Bernd Heinrich bio on Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bernd_Heinrich
b. A guide to all his books: http://www.thenaturalistsnotebook.com/books-by-bernd
c. His academic career: https://www.uvm.edu/cas/biology/profiles/bernd-heinrich
d. “Scientist at Work: Bernd Heinrich, Sings of Survival in a Frozen Forest” (New York Times, January 7, 2003) by James Gormanjan: https://www.nytimes.com/2003/01/07/science/scientist-at-work-bernd-heinrich-signs-of-survival-in-a-frozen-forest.html
e. "From Twigs to Ravens, Nothing Escapes the Notice of Bernd Heinrich” (Smithsonian Magazine, November 1, 1997) by Richard Wolkomir: https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/from-twigs-to-ravens-nothing-escapes-the-notice-of-bernd-heinrich-53104160/
f. Dr. Heinrich is in the top ten for the 100-mlle, 100-km, and 50-mile races (American): https://ultrarunning.com/featured/ultrarunning-magazine-all-time-lists/
g, American Ultrarunning Hall of Fame: http://www.americanultra.org/halloffame.html#Bernd

9. Bernd Heinrich interviews
a. https://www.spreaker.com/episode/17872721
b. https://www.spreaker.com/episode/17806876

10. iNaturalist: https://www.inaturalist.org

11. Fisher
a. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fisher_(animal)
b. https://www.massaudubon.org/learn/nature-wildlife/mammals/fishers/about
c. https://www.dnr.state.mn.us/mammals/fisher.html

12. Bobcat
a. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bobcat
b. https://www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/mammals/b/bobcat/
c. https://bigcatrescue.org/bobcat-facts/
d. http://www.urbancarnivores.com/bobcats/

13. Bobcat: Master of Survival by Kevin Hansen
https://www.amazon.com/Bobcat-Master-Survival-Kevin-Hansen/dp/0195183037/

14. Black Bear in Texas
a. https://tpwd.texas.gov/landwater/land/habitats/trans_pecos/nongame/blackbear/
b. "Black bears creeping back into Texas" by Brian Chasnoff (Nov. 28, 2009): https://www.mysanantonio.com/news/environment/article/Black-bears-creeping-back-into-Texas-626053.php
c. "Black bear sightings continue to increase in South Texas, Hill Country" by Justin Horne: https://www.ksat.com/news/2012/11/29/black-bear-sightings-continue-to-increase-in-south-texas-hill-country/
d. https://texnat.tamu.edu/2018/07/20/black-bears-of-texas/
e. "Black bear activity on the rise in Texas" by Matt Wyatt (7/8/2020): https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/black-bear-activity-on-the-rise-in-texas/ar-BB16uWk1

15. The importance of predators
a. "The Crucial Role of Predators: A New Perspective on Ecology" by Caroline Fraser (15 Sept 2011): https://e360.yale.edu/features/the_crucial_role_of_predators_a_new_perspective_on_ecology
b. "The Ecological Importance of Predators:" https://www.nrdc.org/sites/default/files/predatorimportance.pdf
c. "Some Animals Are More Equal than Others: Keystone Species and Trophic Cascades:" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hRGg5it5FMI
d. "The Importance of Predators:" https://www.predatordefense.org/predators.htm
e. "Why predators are important for ecosystems:" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vF4F7yvMlAM



Note: in thinking about what the Bear might have been doing, my thought of a person opening a door, putting down keys, putting down a briefcase, etc. was not an identical sequence, but was an example to "prime the pump" to get my brain to start thinking of examples. I had some other examples in mind, but did not speak them. Developing them was not relevant to the discussion, nor was discussing in more depth the logic of the situation. But "priming the pump"of memory and thought is something we all could do more. It is an important thinking skill.

Note: philosophies of science based on the work of Plato, Kant, Descartes, Dewey, Kuhn, Popper are fundamentally wrong. Science is not essentially deductive. It is not "above and beyond" experience or anything like that. Science is the inductive, integrated understanding of that nature of things and their cause-effect relationships. It is founded on and developed out of the evidence of the senses.


Picture and bio courtesy Janet Pesaturo.