Stone County 4-H members head to national competition that focuses on wildlife, hones habitat management skills
By Rebekah Hall
U of A System Division of Agriculture
May 9, 2025
Fast Facts:
- Junior, senior 4-H members from eight counties competed at state contest
- Participants studied animal pelts, skulls, feathers, food sources to identify species
- Senior 4-H teams created habitat management plans for contest region
(1,054 words)
(Newsrooms: With photos)
PARON, Ark. — A team from Stone County will be heading to Crossville, Tennessee, to compete in the National Wildlife Habitat Education Contest on July 28-31.
The county’s senior 4-H team, comprised of Addison Kennon, Ava Kennon, Blake Marsolf and Samuel Wyman, won the state WHEP competition held April 25 at Camp Paron, where more than 50 junior and senior contestants from eight counties took part. The competition tests contestants’ knowledge of habitat management and wildlife identification.
The contest was hosted by the Cooperative Extension Service and the University of Arkansas at Monticello’s College of Forestry, Agriculture and Natural Resources.
This year’s competition focused on the southeast mixed and outer coastal plain forest region, parts of which are in the contest’s location at Camp Paron.
“I love this program, I think it teaches kids a lot,” said Lynn Lanthrip, Drew County extension 4-H program assistant for the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture, who helped coordinate the contest. “The kids get so excited to work with the hides and skulls, learning to identify those animals. They love getting to be outside and learning how to manage their own property. We have a lot of hunting in our area, and they learn how they could manage their hunting woods in the future.”
Contest methods
All teams were tested on their knowledge of food consumed by wildlife species within the ecoregion, along with key wildlife ecology and terms. Teams used actual animal artifacts, including pelts, teeth and skulls, and replica artifacts, including eggs and tracks, to identify 30 wildlife species. Junior teams also studied satellite images to correctly identify which habitats were best for certain wildlife species. Senior teams prepared wildlife management plans based on a scenario given to them on the day of the contest, which included details about an imagined landowner’s goals for the area.
The winning Stone County team created a plan to increase populations of American bumblebees, wild turkeys, Eastern cottontail rabbits and red-eyed vireo birds. Their plan included planting native grasses and forbs, which are herbaceous plants that make up a significant portion of deer diets, as well as dedicating space for wildflowers to grow. They also recommended conducting a wildlife survey before and after implementing the changes to get an accurate animal count, and they drew a map of their proposed management practices for the area.
Instilling passion for conservation
Kirsten Bartlow, coordinator of the Watchable Wildlife program for the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission, said WHEP helps youth learn about potential career opportunities, as well as prepare to be conscious stewards of their own land.
“For someone who might want to go on and work at somewhere like Arkansas Game and Fish Commission, they’re getting a real basis in learning about wildlife management,” Bartlow said. “I think in some ways this is really setting them up for college. It’s also helping them learn how they might want to manage their own land when they are adults.”
Savannah Watkins, 22, started participating in WHEP when she was 10 years old as a member of White County 4-H. In 2019, her county’s team won the state contest and advanced to the national competition. She now coaches the county’s 4-H junior WHEP team, which won second place in their division at the April contest.
“I really love seeing when young kids learn a new fact, or they finally understand a concept I’m trying to explain to them,” Watkins said. “What really impacted me when I did this as a 4-H’er was that this definitely taught me more than just a science course in school.”
Watkins graduated last year from Arkansas State University, where she took a wildlife course during her final semester, which she said was greatly informed by her WHEP experience.
“There were so many things I could apply,” Watkins said. “When my professor started applying the wildlife management theories, I basically threw myself into it because it matched up perfectly with what I was taught in the WHEP program.”
Bree Lanthrip, 26, daughter of Lynn Lanthrip, was a member of Drew County 4-H and began participating in WHEP at age 11. She said the program had a significant impact on her confidence and public speaking skills.
“You have to give an oral defense of your habitat management plan as part of the judging, so I had to get more comfortable speaking in front of people,” Lanthrip said. “You couldn’t bring anything with you to help prepare, and that was something I really struggled with, so it pushed me to become more vocal and less shy. There’s not an area of your life where you don’t use that skill.”
Lanthrip helps coach Drew County’s 4-H WHEP team, and she said the program encourages youth to care for the land and its wildlife.
“It teaches them the importance of conservation and why we should care about nature,” Lanthrip said. “It teaches them why things like hunting are important to our ecosystems, and it gives them this appreciation for the world around them.”
Becky McPeake’s lasting impact
Lynn Lanthrip said the success and longevity of Arkansas WHEP is due in large part to the passion of the late Becky McPeake. As part of her duties as a professor and extension wildlife specialist for the Division of Agriculture, McPeake was the state coordinator for WHEP. She died May 2.
Lynn Lanthrip said McPeake’s enthusiasm for the program cannot be overstated.
“The love that she had for wildlife and getting kids interested in different career paths they could take with wildlife was incredible,” Lanthrip said. “She was always there to help the coaches, help the kids, and answer all our questions. She always had a smile on her face, and she loved seeing kids make connections with the world around them.”
Lanthrip said working alongside McPeake on programming for WHEP was “just amazing.”
“It’s a lot of work to put that state contest on, but she would truly get so excited about it,” she said. “She encouraged generations of 4-H’ers, including my own kids, who still come back every year and help with the contest. She loved to have those kids still involved and see them mentoring younger kids.
“She meant a lot to our 4-H program and the wildlife side of that,” Lanthrip said. “My kids learned their love for wildlife and wildlife management from her.”
To learn about extension programs in Arkansas, contact your local Cooperative Extension Service agent or visit www.uaex.uada.edu. Follow us on X 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 X at @ArkAgResearch. To learn more about the Division of Agriculture, visit https://uada.edu/. Follow us on X 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 three campuses.
Pursuant to 7 CFR § 15.3, the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture offers all its Extension and Research programs and services (including employment) without regard to race, color, sex, national origin, religion, age, disability, marital or veteran status, genetic information, sexual preference, pregnancy or any other legally protected status, and is an equal opportunity institution.
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Media Contact:
Rebekah Hall
rkhall@uada.edu
@RKHall_
501-671-2061