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ReasonRx Podcast Episode 5 Kim Cabrera Discusses Tracking: A Exercise in Logic

April 6, 2019 May 26, 2022

Kim Cabrera, in Melanie’s and my recent podcast (also on iTunes), talks with us about animal tracking, and how it can help students, teachers, and adults learn logical thinking skills and enjoy doing it. Gaining deep skills of logic and epistemology does not have to be all dry and boring. It can be and should be interesting, powerfully useful, and a joy.

Show Notes.

Kim takes us on a discussion of:
-her background
-how she got interested in tracking
-what tracking is
-as one example, how to differentiate a dog track from a cat track
-how so many mistake dog tracks for mountain lion tracks
-what parents can do to help their kids be more confident in nature, and confident in general
-how tracking might be the source of science
-how tracking is like the detective work of Sherlock Holmes
-where you can track: city, suburbs, urbs, rural, country, park, nature, the wild
-how you can learn to track and can track anywhere
-how tracking helps us learn to observe, connect, induce, deduce, hypothesize, build theories — i.e., helps us learn all aspects of logic and science, first hand
-how, more specifically, tracking teaches us to identify, find patterns, consider context, make connections
-how tracking helps us get involved in nature, stay healthy, get some good social time with others

Rules of tracking:

Respect the animal
Respect yourself
Respect the land
Respect the law

But what it’s about:

Know the animal
Know yourself
Know the land
Know the law
Know the whole

In regard to one comment Michael made in the podcast: Profiling. It’s profiling he was trying to think of. That’s what criminals do: profile for weakness and vulnerability. Read, for example, the book Mindhunter by John Douglas and Mark Olshaker (not recommended for the squeamish! Read reviews before reading it so you know what you will be reading about!): https://www.amazon.com/Mindhunter-Inside-Elite-Serial-Crime/dp/1501191969/

External links in three sections:
I. Kim and tracking
II. Nature resources, books, and movies
III. Science and logic resources

I. Kim and tracking

1.Kim’s excellent online tracking website: https://www.bear-tracker.com

1.a. Kim’s YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/user/beartracker777

2. Animals Don’t Cover Their tracks FB page: https://www.facebook.com/groups/271764596196849

3. Tom Brown’s Field Guide to Nature Observation and Tracking by Tom Brown Jr: https://www.amazon.com/Browns-Field-Nature-Observation-Tracking/dp/0425099660

4. Peterson Field Guide to Animal Tracks: Third Edition (Peterson Field Guides) by Murie, Elbroch, Peterson: https://www.amazon.com/Peterson-Field-Guide-Animal-Tracks/dp/061851743X/

5. Mammal Tracks & Sign: A Guide to North American Species 1st Edition by Mark Elbroch: https://www.amazon.com/Mammal-Tracks-Sign-American-Species/dp/0811726266/

6. Tracking documentary The Great Dance: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UisnHp0Oqc4

7. The Art of Tracking, the Origin of Science by Louis Liebenberg: https://www.amazon.com/Art-Tracking-Origin-Science/dp/0864861311

7.a. Liebenberg’s book online: https://www.cybertracker.org/downloads/tracking/The-Art-of-Tracking-The-Origin-of-Science-Louis-Liebenberg.pdf

II. Nature resources, books, and movies

1.iNaturlist: (also an app!): https://www.inaturalist.org

1.a. North American Animal Tracking Database on iNaturlist: https://www.inaturalist.org/projects/north-american-animal-tracking-database

2.Video Michael made of a Copperhead he accidentally stepped on (don’t worry, the snake was OK!): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T6EZHemJy4Q

2.a. Another Copperhead video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lb29_PEngwo

2.b. And another Copperhead video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eJaMC2aFgMA

3. Heart of a Lion: A Lone Cat’s Walk Across America by William Stolzenburg: https://www.amazon.com/Heart-Lion-Lone-Across-America/dp/1620405520/

4. Ghostwalker: Tracking a Mountain Lion’s Soul through Science and Story by Leslie Patten: https://www.amazon.com/Ghostwalker-Tracking-Mountain-through-Science-ebook/dp/B07GY3YN47/

5. Mind of the Raven: Investigations and Adventures with Wolf-Birds by Bernd Heinrich: https://www.amazon.com/Mind-Raven-Investigations-Adventures-Wolf-Birds/dp/0061136050

6. The Elephant Whisperer: My Life with the Herd in the African Wild by Lawrence Anthony and Graham Spence

7. The Soul of a Horse: Life Lessons from the Herd by Joe Camp: https://www.amazon.com/Soul-Horse-Life-Lessons-Herd/dp/0307406865/

8. The Nature Fix: Why Nature Makes Us Happier, Healthier, and More Creative by Florence Williams: https://www.amazon.com/Nature-Fix-Happier-Healthier-Creative/dp/0393355578/

9. Last Child in the Woods by Richard Louv: https://www.amazon.com/Last-Child-Woods-Children-Nature-Deficit/dp/156512605X/

10. Duma movie: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0361715/

11. Alaska movie: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0115493/

12. A list of biology and biology-related books: https://goldams.com/biology-books/

13. Camp Menogyn: https://www.ymcamn.org/camps/camp_menogyn

14. Find a park near you:
a. https://findyourpark.com/your-parks
b. https://www.yelp.com/nearme/parks
c. https://www.nps.gov/findapark/index.htm

15. For movements and techniques to track and move in nature better, see MovNat’s YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/user/MovNat

III. Science, education, and logic resources

1.Great movie clip, from the movie Infinity, showing Richard Feynman learning science (names don’t matter. you have to look at the bird): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SMaZOCKmcVc

2. Some ideas on logic and science:
a. basics of induction and deduction: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s_kZ9GaD57Y
b. on the nature of logic: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uWSAub8_-Zk
c. what “understanding” really is: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q0cxDyHMymM
d. more here: https://www.youtube.com/user/GoldAcademy

3. The Art of Reasoning by David Kelley (we recommend you focus on classification, definition, argument analysis, and induction) https://www.amazon.com/Art-Reasoning-Introduction-Critical-Thinking/dp/0393930785/

4. Math is simple, biology is complex:
a. Wolves of Yellowstone, How Wolves Change Rivers:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SAGEXDlUHDE

b. Vitamin D function in our biology: https://lpi.oregonstate.edu/mic/vitamins/vitamin-D

5. Montessori education: https://www.montessori.edu/

5.a. Good, interesting bio of Maria Montessori: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TXqeTYHn0p4

6. Books by Dr. Maria Montessori:
a. The Montessori Method https://www.amazon.com/Montessori-Method-Maria/dp/0805209220/
b. Dr. Montessori’s Own Handbook https://www.amazon.com/Dr-Montessoris-Own-Handbook-Materials/dp/0805209212/

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