Susan Sam

Susan was born and raised in Michigan. In 1985, she and her husband, Joseph, moved to a rural farming community. Susan first saw a groundhog on their rural Michigan property in 2003. Although groundhogs are considered nuisance animals, Susan found them intriguing. She spent countless hours observing, photographing, and filming their activities each year from the time they emerged from hibernation until they snuggled down for their winter sleep.

Although stories about the woodchuck project were shared online, thoughts of writing a children's book about the lives of the groundhogs she observed became frequent. Without further procrastination, she published her first photo-filled book in 2018, followed by a second book in 2022.

Publications featuring her work include local newspapers,Tri-City Times, and The County Press, as well as national publications Nautilus Magazine (Issue #54) and the Humane World for Animals magazine, All Animals (September 2024)

Besides the woodchuck project, Susan enjoys observing other wildlife, reading, music, art, and spending time with her husband and groundhog project partner, Joseph.