Wildlife Habitat Evaluation Program

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Oktibbeha County 4H wildlife judging team takes third place at national competition

Four Oktibbeha County high school students recently placed third in the 4H National Wildlife Habitat Evaluation Program (WHEP) Contest, held in Zwolle, LA. WHEP is a 4-H youth natural resource program dedicated to teaching wildlife and fisheries habitat management to junior and senior level (ages 8-19) youth in the United States. Participants in WHEP learn the habitat requirements of select wildlife species and how to judge the quality of wildlife habitat, recommend wildlife habitat management practices, and develop wildlife management plans. After winning the State WHEP contest held during the Mississippi 4H Club Congress in May, the team advanced to compete with teams from 15 other states in the national contest in Louisiana. In addition to the overall third place, the Mississippi team also placed first in the Written Wildlife Management Plan Competition. Justin Burger, Hannah Miller, and Ethan Willers, took first, second, and thrid places, respectively, in the individual management plan oral defense competition. Hannah Miller won the Essay Contest with her essay entitled "Five and a half things I learned on Oakhill Farm." The team was coached by Dr. Wes Burger, professor in the Department of Wildlife and Fisheries, MSU and Leslie Burger, Extension Associate, Department of Wildlife and Fisheries. Jimmy Avery, national WHEP chair, presented the awards.

The National 4-H Wildlife Habitat Evaluation Program is designed to teach young people about the fundamentals of wildlife science and management. Natural resources management is learned through participation in the event and the associated programs. Additional benefits come from the development of leadership capabilities and meeting young people and professionals from other states.

In this program, youth learn that management for wildlife includes management of habitat and populations. The information found in the program manual (available at www.WHEP.org) is provided for learning wildlife habitat management concepts in both urban and rural settings and to prepare participants for judging events. While it is beneficial to use other sources for training, the contest will only cover material presented in the manual. The manual and activities are focused not only on increasing knowledge in the wildlife management field, but also in developing skills in applying that knowledge. WHEP addresses these concepts with the three activities below.

1. General wildlife knowledge and wildlife identification test (individual activity),
2. On-site recommendation of wildlife management practices (individual activity),
3. Written wildlife management plan (team activity) and an oral defense of the written plan (individual activity).

In Mississippi, junior-level participants will only be required to address the wildlife knowledge and wildlife identification portions of the program during the contests held during annual Project Achievement Days. Senior-level youth (ages 14 -18, as of January 1) will encounter all three contest elements during the state event held during Club Congress. First-place winners at Club Congress will be invited to participate in the National WHEP contest at a location to be determined annually.

The contents and activities in the handbook are arranged in the order used by wildlife managers when deciding how to manage areas for specific wildlife species. Before making recommendations on habitat management, one must know about the life requirements of the specific animal(s) for which the area is being managed. The Concepts, Wildlife Species, and Foods sections of the handbook can help participants learn the life requirements of select wildlife species.

Next, the manager must be able to inventory and evaluate the present condition of the habitat and explain the condition to landowners and other interested parties. The aerial photography section is designed to develop understanding of this inventory and evaluation process. Once the inventory is complete, the manager decides which management practices can be applied to improve the habitat for specified wildlife species. The on-site management recommendation activity gives the participant some experience with this decision-making process.

Finally, so that others can clearly understand the proposed management decisions, the wildlife manager must develop a written plan that explains the recommendations, and locates them on aerial photos or some other type of map. Orally describing those decisions and recommendations is often necessary and is replicated by the oral defense portion of the contest.

If you’d like more information on WHEP, including how to get started contact Leslie Burger (lburger@cfr.msstate.edu, 325-6686) or Dr. Bronson Strickland (bstrickland@cfr.msstate.edu, 325-8141).