Wildlife of the Southeast: the creation of a regional field guide and what I learned along the way

Village Nature Series is a curated collection of lectures providing knowledge on topics like wildlife, conservation, and local cultural heritage This series is brought to you through a collaboration between The Village Green and Highlands-Cashiers Land Trust. All of the Nature Series Programs, adult and youth, are FREE, family-friendly, held RAIN OR SHINE, and no reservations are required.
Sam is excited to join the Village Nature Series to share photographs, stories, and odd things he’s found in the woods while working on his field guide. He will share about finding alligator nests, watching mother sea turtles lay eggs on the beach, watching red wolves and black bears at the same time, and how following a Florida panther trail led him to a Florida panther. By the end of the talk, he will hopefully have shown you that the exploration of the natural world’s inhabitants through the lens of wildlife tracking is the best scavenger hunt you’ve ever participated in (and it never ends).
Presenter Bio: Sam Giovanetti is a wildlife tracker, writer, and photographer living in Madison County, NC. He holds a Professional Track & Sign Certification from Tracker Certification North America. He has completed thru-hikes of the Appalachian Trail (2011), the Pacific Crest Trail (2017), and paddled the entire Suwannee River (2022). He has worked as a teacher, a wolf tracker, a rabbit scat collector, a snow shoveler, an arborist, and a gas station clerk. He holds a degree in biology from Appalachian State University in NC. Someone once described him as having “big raft guide energy.” To get in touch or learn more, visit samuelgiovanetti.squarespace.com/
Image by Sam Giovanetti