23 Naturalist/biologist Kim Cabrera: What Wildlife Tracking Really Is And How It Can Be Used To Improve Education

In this episode, naturalist and tracking expert Kim Cabrera discusses what wildlife tracking really is and what all is involved, discusses biology and ecology, and gives us all ideas we can use to teach biology better. Kim discusses:-a brief review of her background (more in Episode 5)-how tracking is more than foot prints: it involves all sorts of signs, it involves zoology, it involves knowledge of animal behavior, ecology, environment, geology, physics-the benefits of tracking and the outdoors: health, fitness, cognition, social connection, and more-the importance of understanding biology and ecology to our lives and success-how to better structure biology education in schools and at homeWhen we talk about some tracks at the end of the podcast, these images might help:1. Gray Squirrel: https://www.bear-tracker.com/gsquirel.html 2. Raccoon: https://www.bear-tracker.com/coon.html3. Opossum: https://www.bear-tracker.com/opossum.html4. Armadillo: https://www.bear-tracker.com/armadillotracksandsign.htmlTo support the show and help us grow our audience -- so we have more of an impact on education and the culture -- please help us with a donation:1. https://www.patreon.com/reasonrxpodcast 2. https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_s-xclick&hosted_button_id=SP6QPQKJU4XSS&source=url Also, please consider liking us on your podcast app, and leaving a rational review.And if you find an episode valuable, please share it with parents, teachers, school personnel, friends, and family. Help spread the word, help spread rational ideas for better living. About Kim:1. Kim’s excellent online tracking website: https://www.bear-tracker.com1. Kim’s YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/user/beartracker777Contact Melanie: https://www.linkedin.com/in/melanie-katragadda-nctm-9b14522aContact Michael: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-gold-2883921/ or http://goldams.com/External links (have not read all these; just offering information for you):1, Animals Don’t Cover Their Tracks FB page: https://www.facebook.com/groups/271764596196849/2. The Art of Tracking, the Origin of Science by Louis Liebenberg (great idea, but we need to consider whether science is essentially inductive and integrative, not deductive): https://www.amazon.com/Art-Tracking-Origin-Science/dp/08648613113. Liebenberg’s book online (great idea, but we need to consider whether science is essentially inductive and integrative, not deductive): https://www.cybertracker.org/downloads/tracking/The-Art-of-Tracking-The-Origin-of-Science-Louis-Liebenberg.pdf4. "You mean the suggestion that, when things get bad enough, we can leave the planet? ... Well, I’ll tell you, that’s an idea that falls somewhere within a triangle of ignorance, stupidity, and insanity.” —E.O. Wilson Quote from about 17 min 10 sec into the 24 November 2008 Q&A for the lecture "Darwin & The Future of Biology" at Emory University's "Evolution Revolution: Science Changing Life" Symposium. Listen: https://podcasts.apple.com/bw/podcast/evolution-revolution-with-e-o-wilson-audio/id422850783?mt=2Note: maybe one day (one millennia) we will know enough about human biology and our ecological needs, and have developed the physics and chemistry understanding to help us take that elsewhere than earth -- but that day is not today, nor any time soon. 5. The concept of "food web"a. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Food_webb. https://www.nature.com/scitable/knowledge/library/food-web-concept-and-applications-840771816. The concept of "trophic cascade"a. https://www.nature.com/scitable/knowledge/library/trophic-cascades-across-diverse-plant-ecosystems-80060347b. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trophic_cascade7. The concept of "fission-fusion"a. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0960982206011924b. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fission–fusion_society8. A list of some biology and biology-related books for you: http://goldams.com/biology-books/9. Ecologya. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ecologyb. https://www.esa.org/about/what-does-ecology-have-to-do-with-me/c http://environment-ecology.com/what-is-ecology/205-what-is-ecology.html10. Forest bathinga. About: http://www.shinrin-yoku.org/shinrin-yoku.htmlb. the book Forest Bathing: How Trees Can Help You Find Health and Happinessby Dr. Qing Li: https://www.amazon.com/s?k=forest+bathing&ref=nb_sb_noss_2c, "Getting back to nature: how forest bathing can make us feel better" by Harriet Sherwood: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2019/jun/08/forest-bathing-japanese-practice-in-west-wellbeing11. J.J. Gibsona. Ecological theory of perception: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ecological_psychologyb. J.J. Gibson: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_J._Gibsonc. Gibson’s book The Ecological Approach to Visual Perception: https://www.amazon.com/Ecological-Approach-Perceptual-Learning-Development-ebook/dp/B000QFAKUY/12. Mind is for movementa. TED talk "Why the Brain is Built for Movement" by Anders Hansen: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a9p3Z7L0f0Ub. TED talk "The real reason for brains" by Daniel Wolpert: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7s0CpRfyYp813. 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/0393355578/14. Human function and fractal nature (food for thought; just a bit to start your own research)a. "Human physiological benefits of viewing nature: EEG responses to exact and statistical fractal patterns:" https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25575556b. "Why Fractals Are So Soothing" by Florence Williams and Aeon: https://www.theatlantic.com/science/archive/2017/01/why-fractals-are-so-soothing/514520/c. "Patterns in Nature: Why We Need Them in the Built Environment: by Kristine DeMaira: https://www.terramai.com/blog/patterns-in-nature-and-built-environment/15. The Soul of a Horse: Life Lessons from the Herd by Joe Camp: https://www.amazon.com/Soul-Horse-Life-Lessons-Herd/dp/0307406865/16. "This Is Your Brain in Deep Space: Could Cosmic Rays Threaten Mars Missions?" by Charles Q. Choi (May 04, 2015 Spaceflight): https://www.space.com/29309-space-radiation-danger-mars-missions.html17. Montessori Educationa. https://www.montessori.edub. http://imsmontessori.org/index.htmlc. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Montessori_educationd. https://amiusa.org18. Biography of Maria Montessoria. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TXqeTYHn0p4b. https://www.whitepaperpress.us/bbc-documentary-on-maria-montessori/c. https://montessori-ami.org/resource-library/facts/biography-dr-maria-montessori19. Books by Dr. Montessoria. Dr. Montessori's Own Handbook: A Short Guide to Her Ideas and Materials: https://www.amazon.com/Dr-Montessoris-Own-Handbook-Materials/dp/0805209212/b. The Discovery of the Child by Maria Montessori: https://www.amazon.com/Discovery-Child-Maria-Montessori/dp/0345336569/c. The Absorbent Mind: A Classic in Education and Child Development for Educators and Parents by Maria Montessori: https://www.amazon.com/Absorbent-Mind-Maria-Montessori/dp/0805041567/20. "What is Montessori / Mario Montessori and Lena Wikramaratne interviewed by Elsa Knight Thompson:" https://archive.org/details/pacifica_radio_archives-BB169721. Books about epigenetics (have not read them, just mentioning them for your consideration).a. The Epigenetics Revolution: How Modern Biology Is Rewriting Our Understanding of Genetics, Disease, and Inheritance by Nessa Carey: https://www.amazon.com/Epigenetics-Revolution-Rewriting-Understanding-Inheritance-ebook/dp/B0074MTTEK/b. Epigenetics: The Death of the Genetic Theory of Disease Transmission First Editionby Joel D. Wallach D.V.M, Ma Lan M.D., Gerhard N. Schrauzer Ph.D.: https://www.amazon.com/Epigenetics-Genetic-Theory-Disease-Transmission/dp/1590791495/c. Epigenetics: How Environment Shapes Our Genes by Richard C. Francis: https://www.amazon.com/Epigenetics-How-Environment-Shapes-Genes/dp/039334228X/d. You Are What Your Grandparents Ate: What You Need to Know About Nutrition, Experience, Epigenetics and the Origins of Chronic Disease by Judith Finlayson and Kent Thornburg: https://www.amazon.com/You-Are-What-Your-Grandparents/dp/0778806332/See also:1. Tom Brown's Field Guide to Nature Observation and Tracking by Tom Brown Jr: https://www.amazon.com/Browns-Field-Nature-Observation-Tracking/dp/04250996602. 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/3. Mammal Tracks & Sign: A Guide to North American Species 1st Edition by Mark Elbroch: https://www.amazon.com/Mammal-Tracks-Sign-American-Species/dp/0811726266/4. Tracking documentary The Great Dance: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UisnHp0Oqc45. When tracking, please remember:a. The Rules of trackingi. Respect the animalii. Respect yourselfiii. Respect the landiv. Respect the lawb. What it's abouti. Know the animalii. Know yourselfiii. Know the landiv. Know the lawv. Know the wholeImage courtesy Kim Cabrera.Please consider liking us on your podcast app, and leaving a rational review.Email us at [email protected], [email protected], or [email protected]: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-gold-2883921/Gold Academy: https://goldams.comTotal Human Fitness: https://total-human-fitness.com