Those footprints circling your house: Do they belong to a lost deer? A hungry wolf? A lunatic stalker, armed with a 15-inch kitchen knife and duct tape? The Cleveland Metroparks' School of the Wilds: Tracking program can help you tell the difference between Bambi and Bluto.
The first part takes place indoors, where participants learn about the ambulatory actions of all sorts of woodsy critters. "Coyotes use direct registration when they walk, which means their front paw comes down, and then their back paw comes down exactly in the print of where the front paw just was," explains naturalist Wendy Weirich, who leads Sunday's excursion. "It almost looks like a two-footed animal walking."
Then it's a trip outdoors, where your newfound tracking knowledge gets put to use. "Most animals are active at night, so we tend to see tracks of nocturnal animals," Weirich says. "A midnight drama happens every night, and we don't get to see it. But you do get to see the evidence of it the next day, out in the snow. It's neat to imagine what happens when we're sleeping." Live that dream from 2 to 5 p.m. at Look About Lodge at South Chagrin Reservation, 37374 Miles Road in Bentleyville. Admission is free. Call 440-247-7075 for more information. -- Diane Sofranec
Swing of Things
The Golf Show tees up the tips.
2/20-2/22
Hard to say what "Canada's Golf Doctor" Terry Miskolczi will prescribe for our ailing game, or what Canadians even know about golf. But he'll be at this weekend's Greater Cleveland Golf Show, along with tons of clubs, putters, and balls from top manufacturers. There are also demo ranges, putting greens, and a hole-in-one challenge, which can net one lucky swinger $25,000. Get a jump on spring at the I-X Center (6200 Riverside Drive) from 2 to 9 p.m. Friday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday, and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday. Admission is $6 to $8; kids under 12 get in free. Call 216-676-6000 for more information. -- Michael Gallucci
