Nature Trackers at Godwin Ranch
Yesterday, Godwin Ranch hosted Mike Farley, a Master Naturalist from the Goodwater chapter and the head of the Nature Trackers program for the area.
Nature Tracker is a wildlife camera loan program started in partnership with Texas Parks and Wildlife to locate and count the state's mammals, with a particular emphasis on species of concern. For us in Williamson County this means the spotted skunk and the swamp rabbit.
If we are lucky, we might detect one individual or two, and see some rarely seen species like ringtails, shrews and bobcats.
Nature Trackers will move their camera every few weeks for six months to cover several different types of habitat or attractive areas. For example, did you know that downed tree limbs are often used as latrines by raccoons, foxes, coyotes and other mammals? I didn't ! But sure enough, the first one Mike noticed was covered in two types of excrement.
In any case, 2024 promises to be a stimulating year as it opens more windows into the lives of the furry creatures who use the tract.
