"Sue Morse has never been one to talk about an environmental problem without trying to find a solution. In 1994, she formed a nonprofit conservation organization called Keeping Track®. Its mission is to inspire community participation in the long-term stewardship of wildlife habitat. She believes that one of the best ways to conserve habitat is to learn about the habitat in your community.
Keeping Track teaches concerned adults and children to observe, interpret, and record evidence of wildlife in their region. Wild habitat has a much better chance of staying wild under the watchful eyes of a whole community of knowledgeable and dedicated wildlife enthusiasts."
--Stephen Swinburne
Writer, Photographer and Naturalist
"If you want someone who will draw a crowd and hold them enthralled with her presentation, get Sue Morse. If the Michelin Guide did conservation speakers she'd get four stars.
She lives what she speaks and it's clear that she's made a success of it. Her beautiful photographs and the layers of knowledge from the different areas of her expertise are all woven together in her message. The animals are there, they need certain things to make a good neighborhood to live in and your actions can help or hinder their lives.
This is not new. What makes it different are two things: her knowledge of what good habitat is and how to facilitate it, and her ability to make the animals come alive for us and become as important to us as we ourselves are. It's the closest thing I can think of to having an animal in the room talking for the animals.
We know we live in nature but we often treat it as the background to our human concerns. Sue brings us back to a different perspective, in fact we return to the Garden of Eden, as the stewards we were meant to be."
--Stansje Plantenga
President and Founding member, Ruiter Valley Land Trust, Quebec
"You would be giving yourself and your colleagues a great gift to go tracking in the woods with Sue Morse. Sue is more than an expert guide and authority on flora and fauna. She is a wonderful storyteller, and the way she is able to transport you into her world of bobcats, bear, coyote and other friends is nothing short of magic. Through stories, tracks, signs, and occasional sightings their world comes to life. At the end of the day you will feel as if you know them a bit better, as if you have been a privileged guest in their home. And maybe--just maybe--they have gotten a good look at you, too."
--Steven J. Holmes
Sustainable Communities Program Director, Vermont Natural Resources Council
“We can see evidence that our Keeping Track wildlife programs are truly inspiring many of our students and faculty, as well as community volunteers who have participated in the Keeping Track wildlife monitoring course. We look forward to building more trained volunteers, so as to be even better prepared to implement the appropriate conservation planning needs in our region."
--Matt Schlein, Director, Willowell Foundation
"Sue is one of the most capable and experienced naturalists in the United States."
--Harley Shaw
Retired biologist with the Arizona Fish and Game Department and an international expert on mountain lions
“To be afield with Sue is a special delight for her tireless enthusiasm and joy in her work inspires us all, not only to learn what Keeping Track has to teach, but also to actively shape conservation planning in our communities. Thus, our Keeping Track teams become communities unto themselves. The relationships that form among team members and others we meet through the program bring us all closer to the land while also strengthening ties within the larger community.
In an increasingly contentious, fragmented world I can think of nothing more important to protecting everything we love about the world we live in than the work that Keeping Track does to inspire, inform, enrich and preserve the natural communities that thrive around us.
On the two Keeping Track teams with which I have been involved it has been impossible not to be impressed by the wide range of people who turn out. Talk about biodiversity! Young people, old people, natives, newcomers, white collars, blue collars, hunters, hikers, birders, bikers – Keeping Track shows the power of ‘the call of the wild’ in attracting and engaging people from all kinds of backgrounds and with all types of interests.”
--Brad Elliott
Keeping Track trainee and team member
"As an educator focused on educating for sustainability, I had heard Sue Morse’s name long before I had the opportunity to learn from her in the field. My first opportunity to work with Sue and Keeping Track was in the planning process of a tracking day sponsored by the Champlain Basin Education Initiative. In preparation for our time together, Sue invited me to get a feel for Wolf Run by joining with another group.
This fall I ‘tagged along’ as Sue worked with students from the Vermont Youth Conservation Corps. After my first outing, I was thoroughly hooked! Sue has the ability to meet each person at their edge – to bring people to a new level of understanding and connection to their place in the natural world. Not only does Sue model excitement and love of place, but she surrounds herself with a wonderful staff of volunteers and interns who are highly capable and enthusiastic.
During one of my outings at Wolf Run, while working with area students, educators, and conservationists gathered by the Champlain Basin Education Initiative, I observed Sue completely transform a young woman’s experience. One of the participants, a local middle-school student, was overcome by cold, frustration, and anxiety part way through the trip. This young person became so exacerbated that she sat down in the snow refusing to move forward. With help from Sue and her interns, not only did this student ultimately rejoin the group, but after an hour (having enjoyed Sue’s homemade chicken noodle soup, and added another jacket and pair of socks provided by Keeping Track) she was laughing, running, and following right in Sue’s footsteps. It was Sue’s professionalism and attention to the needs of each participant in the group that allowed the day to continue forward smoothly and successfully.
Above all, what I’ve taken away from my experiences with Sue and Keeping Track is a deep love and appreciation for the land and conservation efforts. In addition, I feel a deeper respect and understanding of all Vermont’s inhabitants!"
-- Christie Nold
School Programs Coordinator, Shelburne Farms, Shelburne, Vt.