About Us

Joe and I were both born in Detroit and moved to rural Michigan in 1985. Joe is a retired Ford Motor Company skilled tradesman and USMC Vietnam veteran. As a visual artist, I exhibited my paintings and photographs throughout Michigan.

In 2003 our first groundhog, Wilhelmina, took up residence on our property. Joe had heard woodchucks were destructive–damaging  foundations and destroying gardens. But as we watched Wilhelmina preparing her home and raising her babies, we became intrigued. We agreed to let her and her family stay. With that decision, our lives changed.

Our goal in The Woodchuck Project is to document groundhogs’ natural behavior through long-term observation. We photograph and film through the windows of our home and use trail cameras in and around our barn, which contains a hibernation, mating, and natal burrow. These remote cameras capture behaviors we cannot observe directly.

Over the years, we have also documented other wildlife on our property, including red foxes, deer, skunks, raccoons, rabbits, opossums, squirrels, wild turkeys, and birds. The woodchucks and other wildlife have eaten some of our flowers.  We have had holes dug by the groundhogs in inconvenient or unwanted areas. While coexisting with groundhogs is not without conflicts, these experiences have reinforced our understanding that coexistence requires flexibility, patience, and attention to animal behavior rather than elimination of the animals themselves. We would miss them if they were all to disappear from our property.

We hope visitors to Woodchuck Wonderland gain a deeper understanding of free-living wild groundhogs. We invite you to follow ongoing observations on  Woodchuck Wonderland Groundhogs on Facebook.

Image Use & Licensing

Images shown on this website are part of The Woodchuck Project and related wildlife documentation created through long-term observation in rural Michigan. Selected images are available as fine art products through Fine Art America / Pixels. Licensing for editorial, educational, nonprofit, and research-related use is also considered. Many educational and nonprofit uses are granted at no cost with proper attribution. Commercial and other uses may require permission.

For licensing inquiries or permissions, please contact:
Susan Sam