4-H WHEP (Wildlife Habitat Education Program) is a hands-on, environmental education program that teaches young people valuable lessons about wildlife management, conservation, leadership, team-building, citizenship and communication.
To learn more about WHEP visit http://www.whep.org
Even if you aren't competing, but this sounds like something that may be of interest to you, come to the State WHEP Contest January 23, 2016 at Holiday Lake 4-H Center and see what it is all about!!
The contest will be held on in conjunction with the 4-H Natural Resources Weekend (see previous blog post for information on that event.)
2016 WHEP Contest
Cost: No registration fee for the contest. Lunch Fee - $10.00 per person (Youth, parent volunteers/chaperones, etc.) Lunch which will be provided by the 4-H Center. Paid the day of the contest
If you are attending Natural Resources weekend your lunch is included. No extra fee
Contest Region: Eastern Deciduous Forest. However, for the Wildlife Challenge portion of the contest, species found in the Urban and Wetlands regions are included. Please refer to the NEW 2015 WHEP Manual as posted at www.whep.org for the most current information which will be used for this contest.
Contestants, parents, volunteers and anyone else attending: Please dress appropriately for the weather. Some parts of the contest will be outside regardless of the weather.
Parts of the Contest:
1. Wildlife Challenge (Juniors & Seniors) - The Wildlife Challenge combines wildlife identification and general knowledge. Participants visit stations where they may be presented with a wildlife specimen and questions related to the species. Participants may be asked to identify an animal by specimen or portion of specimen, photo, animal sign, or sound. Questions for the Wildlife Challenge may be from information within Concepts and Terms, Ecoregions, Wildlife Species, Wildlife Management Practices, and the Glossary. Wildlife food items and questions pertaining to wildlife foods also may be included. Appendix B provides definitions of various wildlife foods. Refer to species descriptions to learn what various species eat.
· Spelling & Capitalization - When identifying species in the Wildlife Challenge, the correct spelling, capitalization and hyphenation must be used in order to receive credit. Refer to Index of Wildlife Species pages 69-70 for proper spelling and capitalization.
2. Wildlife Quiz Bowl (Juniors Only) This wildlife version of jeopardy is a fun and exciting event. Teams of 3 – 4 members will compete against each other answering questions which may come from the EASTERN DECIDUOUS FOREST Wildlife Species, EASTERN DECIDUOUS FOREST Region Information, Concepts and Terms and the Glossary. This will be a two round competition. Round 1 will be head to head and Round 2 will be toss-up. Individual contestants can still participate. They will be put together to form a team or added to a 3 person team.
3. Wildlife Management Practices (WMP’s) & Plan Writing:
a. Juniors - Guided session related to plan writing and wildlife management practices. (Participants will be provided reference materials –WMP pages and Species Information)
b. Seniors – Refer to manual for detailed explanation these parts of the contest
i. On-Site Recommendation of Wildlife Management Practices (WMPs)
ii. Written Management Plan
iii. Oral Defense of Written Plan
Junior Division –For youth ages 9-13 (as of January 1, 2016 –follow National WHEP rules).
This division will include:
1. Wildlife Challenge – Award placings will be given.
2. Wildlife Quiz Bowl
3. WMP’s & Plan Writing - A guided session related to plan writing and wildlife management practices.
Senior Division - Full competition for youth ages 14-19 (must be 14 and not 19 as of January 1, 2016 –follows National WHEP rules). They must have a team of 3 or 4 members to be eligible to compete in the full contest. Individual seniors may compete, however they will only be eligible for the individual awards.
This division will include:
1. Wildlife Challenge
2. On-Site Recommendation of Wildlife Management Practices (WMPs)
3. Written Management Plan
4. Oral Defense of Written Plan
The new 2015 manual that will be used for this contest is on the web at www.whep.org. Please refer to this version of the manual ONLY.
To register for the state contest no later than Friday, January 15, 2016.
REGISTRATION LINK: http://tinyurl.com/
If you have problems with registration please contact Kelly Mallory at the Madison Extension Office number 540-948-6881.
Counties may send as many teams and/or individuals as they like. Individuals from different counties may be combined at the contest to make teams.
National WHEP Contest – The top placing Senior Team will qualify to represent Virginia at the National WHEP Contest. This contest is normally held during the last week of July. 2016 contest location and date are not yet available.
