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.