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 handbook is provided for learning wildlife habitat management concepts in both urban and rural settings and to prepare participants for judging events. The handbook and activities are focused not only on increasing knowledge in the wildlife management field, but also in developing skills in applying that knowledge. The National Invitational Judging event is open only to senior division 4-H members. Junior division 4-H members are eligible to compete at county, regional, and state events.The Invitational addresses these concepts with the five activities below.

1. Identify common wildlife foods.
2. Interpret wildlife habitat from aerial photographs.
3. Prescribe wildlife management practices.
4. Develop a rural wildlife management plan.
5. Develop an urban wildlife management plan.

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 all possible information 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 some 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 explain the decisions on paper and locate them on aerial photos or some other type of map. The urban and rural management plan activities encourage participants to explain and illustrate their decisions so that others can understand and carry out the recommendations.

Contact Leslie Burger (lburger@cfr.msstate.edu, 325-6686), Bill Hamrick (whamrick@cfr.msstate.edu, 325-6686), Dr. Bronson Strickland (bstrickland@cfr.msstate.edu, 325-8141) or Dr. John Guyton (jguyton@cfr.msstate.edu, 325-3482) for more information.