25th 4-H Wildlife Habitat Evaluation Program Contest

by Cindy Higgins and Cynthia Rhodes

                                                Photo by Cindy Higgins

The 25^th 4-H Wildlife Habitat Evaluation Program (WHEP) contest took place April 12 at Flat Rock Ranch, residence of Bob and Karen Henderson, by Hamilton in Greenwood County. Bob and Charlie Lee, Kansas State University, started this contest in 1988. 

Two age groups (9-13 and 14-18 years) competed in this wildlife management contest that required students to identify foods eaten by wildlife, determine wildlife habitat by observing aerial photographs, choose wildlife management practices for a specific species and land area, and write a management plan. 

Competitors, boys and girls, totaled 42 students comprising ten teams and a number of individuals. Event winners were as follows. 

Junior Division: 

1^st Individual – Hunter Mericle

2^nd Individual – Bailey Haunschild

3^rd Individual – Hunter Seacrest

1^st Team – Pleasanton FFA B-Team

2^nd Team – Newton Jr.

3^rd Team – Cowley Junior G Team

Senior Division:

1^st Individual – Brooke Falk

2^nd Individual – Fritz Berger

3^rd Individual – Jennifer Coates

1^st Team – Cowley Sr.

2^nd Team – Mission Valley 1

3^rd Team – Sylvan Grove

The 2013 National Wildlife Habitat Evaluation Program will be held in Trafalgar, Indiana at the Indiana FFA Leadership Center on July 21 –July 24. The top Kansas Senior Division team is eligible to compete at this national event.

Information needed to compete in the contest is contained in the Wildlife Habitat Evaluation Handbook 2^nd Edition, which is on the KWF website (www.kswildlife.org).