Arkansas 4-H team advances to National Wildlife Habitat Education Program contest
July 19, 2023
By Rebekah Hall
U of A System Division of Agriculture
Fast Facts:
- Program teaches youth about art and science of wildlife management
- Winning senior team from White County 4-H will compete at National WHEP contest in Iowa
- White County 4-H team achieved near-perfect score on habitat plan at state contest
(722 words)
(Newsrooms: with photos of team)
(Newsrooms: “DeLyliá” is CQ)
LITTLE ROCK — For landowners, improving wildlife habitat can be complex. Managing the land to welcome more deer, but attract fewer bobcats, involves closely studying the surrounding environment and species, a skill that one group of Arkansas 4-H’ers will soon put to the test.
The Wildlife Habitat Education Program, or WHEP, State Contest was held April 28 at Five Oaks Duck Lodge in Humphrey, Arkansas. Judges evaluated nine junior teams and three senior teams on their written responses to a realistic scenario about a landowner who has goals to improve wildlife habitat. Becky McPeake, professor and extension wildlife specialist for the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture, said the winning senior team from White County 4-H is the first team in the history of the Arkansas program to ever get a near-perfect score on their wildlife plan. Caitlin Cooper, Madalyn Johnson, DeLyliá Sanderlin and Jonathan Watkins will advance to the National Wildlife Habitat Education Program Competition, held at the Iowa Lakeside Laboratory in Milford, Iowa, from July 30-Aug. 2.
The state competition also included educational programming about ecological concepts, such as the use of trapping as a tool for wildlife management, a drone demonstration and a presentation on wildlife careers. Summit Utilities sponsored the event and grilled burgers and hot dogs for attendees.
McPeake said the 4-H Wildlife Habitat Education Program, or WHEP, is a nationally recognized curriculum that “introduces youth to the art and science of wildlife management.”
“For the Arkansas program, 4-H members can start when they are 9 to 13 years old learning about wildlife identification, basic ecological concepts and wildlife practices to improve habitat,” McPeake said. “Starting at age 14 and up, they apply what they learned to develop a wildlife plan.”
Jan Yingling, White County extension 4-H agent, said WHEP is an “incredible educational opportunity for our youth.”
“They learn valuable lessons and gather knowledge that will not only help them with their future careers but also make them well-rounded, informed adults,” Yingling said. “These kiddos are hard workers and have put in so many hours over the past several years to get to this point in their 4-H careers. We are extremely proud and excited for them, and they will represent Arkansas well.”
Watkins, 14, said he joined the WHEP program three years ago because his older sister also participated in it and he “thought it would be a good idea to try it.”
“I like trying to identify the animals, it creates a good challenge for me,” Watkins said.
Watkins said he’s interested in a career as a game warden, and that WHEP helps him practice the necessary skills.
“For the first part of the contest, you write a management plan, where you manage a certain piece of property,” he said. “You try to manage according to the owner’s wants. Say you want to increase your amount of deer but lower your amount of bobcats, that’s what you go off of.”
Misty Watkins, Jonathan’s mother and coach of the White County WHEP team, said the members of the team have built their confidence over time while practicing for the contest.
“In the beginning, they were all skittish around bird calls. The bird sounds are tough, and they’ve got a bunch that they have to know,” Misty said. “But this past season, I’ve really seen them get a lot more confident about their identification skills. It’s just been great to see them learn and know that they know it. They went into that state competition pretty set that they were going to win it, and they did.”
Misty said this is the first season the team of four has competed as seniors together. To prepare for the national contest, the team has been studying the Great Plains Grasslands region, as the tallgrass and mixed prairie habitat presents different challenges than the native grasslands found in Arkansas.
“We’re looking at a different region for nationals than we were for state, so we have a few animals that we’re having to really focus on,” she said. “Identification-wise, we’re looking at new eggs and new bird sounds. We’re having to update our botany skills — knowing the difference between bermudagrass and fescue and how that’s going to affect the pheasants and quail in the area.”
For more information about the Arkansas 4-H WHEP program, visit the Cooperative Extension Service’s 4-H WHEP page.
To learn about extension programs in Arkansas, contact your local Cooperative Extension Service agent or visit www.uaex.uada.edu. Follow us on Twitter and Instagram at @AR_Extension. To learn more about Division of Agriculture research, visit the Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station website: https://aaes.uada.edu. Follow on Twitter at @ArkAgResearch. To learn more about the Division of Agriculture, visit https://uada.edu/. Follow us on Twitter at @AgInArk.
About the Division of Agriculture
The University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture’s mission is to strengthen agriculture, communities, and families by connecting trusted research to the adoption of best practices. Through the Agricultural Experiment Station and the Cooperative Extension Service, the Division of Agriculture conducts research and extension work within the nation’s historic land grant education system.
The Division of Agriculture is one of 20 entities within the University of Arkansas System. It has offices in all 75 counties in Arkansas and faculty on five system campuses.
The University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture offers all its Extension and Research programs to all eligible persons without regard to race, color, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, national origin, religion, age, disability, marital or veteran status, genetic information, or any other legally protected status, and is an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Employer.
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Media Contact:
Rebekah Hall
rkhall@uada.edu
@RKHall_
501-671-2061