Conference

Passion on Purpose: Following the Trail Toward Something Greater Than Ourselves

Wildlife tracking often begins as a passion, born from a fascination with animals, nature, and the stories painted across the landscape. Along the path, curiosity trots toward proficiency and wonder walks into accurate interpretation. But tracking has always been more than a technical discipline or personal pursuit, offering a way of seeing, knowing, and moving through the world. What becomes possible when passion connects us to purpose, and purpose sets us on a path in service to something greater than ourselves Inspired by CyberTracker Conservation’s founding vision and tracking traditions carried across human cultures and through time, Kareem A. Dieng traces his journey from curious beginner to professional wildlife tracker, outdoor educator, and conservation leader. Grounded in his work in Maine and West Africa, he explores how tracking can serve conservation, ecological monitoring, education, cultural connection, community development, and the living world.

Tracking is both systematic and speculative, demanding fidelity to evidence while at the same time asking us to recognize patterns and project beyond the story at our feet. Kareem considers whether this way of knowing offers a path beyond lives measured from track to track, certification to certification, or accomplishment to accomplishment, toward professional contentment, personal fulfillment, and service to the greater good. He invites us to look beyond the immediate evidence and consider where this web of trails leads. Perhaps when we tug at the string, at the end of the line, there is purpose not yet visible. Our quarry resting in the shade, huddled beneath The Acacia out of the heat of the midday sun.”