Brian McConnell and Casey McFarland recognized with Master Tracker Certificates

Amongst many noteworthy moments we’ve had this summer, we celebrated Brian McConnell and Casey McFarland as North America’s 2nd and 3rd Master Trackers — CyberTracker’s highest achievement. Unlike other CyberTracker Certificates that are awarded through demonstration of skill on an evaluation, the Master Tracker Certificates are awarded through nomination of individuals who have held a Senior Tracker certificate (Specialist level in both Track & Sign and Trailing) for at least 10 years. The Master Tracker Certificate recognizes exceptional practical skill and expertise and original contributions to the field of tracking.

_______________________________________________

In Early August, Mark Elbroch awarded Brian McConnell (retired External Trailing Evaluator who has certified every other current trailing evaluator on this continent) his Master Tracker certificate in Washington. Here’s a note on Brian from Nate Harvey, a fellow Senior Tracker & External Trailing Evaluator:

Brian’s grandfather gave him a gun when he was 6 and taught him how to use it. Brian reported that he felt able to take care of himself in the woods when he was 10. From watching him use a knife, nock an arrow, walk a trail and be absolutely still under the prolonged gaze of a bull elk, we can say that Brian’s mother tongue is the language of the woods. As an External Evaluator, Brian signed off every Trailing Evaluator and certified almost every Senior Tracker in the Northern Hemisphere. His command of skill is only outmatched by his humility. Brian stands as a model for us all.

_______________________________________________

Later in August, CyberTracker founder Louis Liebenberg awarded Casey McFarland his Master Tracker Certificate at the International Evaluator Conference in South Africa. This was done in the presence of most of the living Master Trackers on the planet, where Dam Debe from Namibia was also honored with the title.

A note on Casey from Mark Elbroch, who nominated him for the honor:

His tracking credentials speak for themselves: he’s contributed to science projects, published field guides and other training materials, and taken an elk with a bow. But those accomplishments are only part of why we’re here today. The deeper reason is this: Casey has grown wildlife tracking skills across multiple continents, driven the expansion of CyberTracker, and mentored more students of natural history than any of us could count.

When I could no longer ignore that I had become the bottleneck holding back CyberTracker’s growth in North America, I knew exactly who should lead it forward. The man with the biggest heart, who could speak to any room, who would ensure competition and condescension were not what we were about. And everything Casey — and CyberTracker — has achieved in the years since then, is proof I made the right call.

______________________________________________

Congratulations, Brian and Casey, and thank you for your contributions! We couldn’t have come this far without you.