Post 16

Tracking boxes like the one you see here are used to identify by capturing their prints. Daytime-active animals such as white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus), squirrels, and chipmunks are easily seen and familiar to most of us, but many other animals call this forest home as well. Small mammals like mice, shrews, and voles are common, and motion-activated cameras have also captured foxes, coyotes (Canis latrans), bobcats (Lynx rufus), skunks, opossums, and raccoons (Procyon lotor).

Perspective-taking meditation

I would like to welcome you to imagine how it would feel to be a small mammal in the forest.

Maybe you are picturing yourself as a squirrel or a chipmunk. Give yourself a moment to fully conjure up this image in your mind. If you’d like, you can even crouch down to gain perspective.

Wherever you are, take a moment to consider how different the two experiences are. Try asking yourself what the mammal might be thinking about as it scurries across the forest floor. How do the trees look different?

Changing perspective can bring up feelings of gratitude for one’s own life, and appreciation for the life of others.