 4-H
Activity and Events
Wildlife Habitat Education Program
History of 4-H WHEP
The 4-H Wildlife Habitat Education Program (WHEP) had its
beginnings when Drs. Jim Byford and Tom Hill of the Tennessee
Agricultural Extension Service initiated the Wildlife Judging
Project in Tennessee. With support from the U.S. Fish and
Wildlife Service, a conference was held in 1985 to explore the
possibility of a Southern Region program. The first Southern
Invitational was held in 1987. In 1988, the second Southern
Invitational was supported by the International Association of Fish
and Wildlife Agencies and a conference was held concurrently to
discuss the possibility of a national event. In 1989 the first
national event was held with the support of the U.S. Fish and
Wildlife Service and the International Association of Fish and
Wildlife Agencies.
In 1990-91, the program was expanded nationally and the first
handbook was produced with sponsorship by Champion International
Corporation and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. The
handbook incorporated the basic concepts originated by Dr. Byford
with the addition of landscape regions from throughout the United
States, urban activities and a wider array of habitat management
practices and wildlife species to manage.
Arkansas WHEP began in 1991 with a state training. The
first state contest occurred in 1991 or 1992. The state
contest was held annually at the C.A. Vines 4-H Center in Ferndale. In 1999, program changes were made, such as forming a steering
committee, rotating the location of the state contest, development
of an Arkansas handbook, addition of a
practice session and
expansion of the program to include Juniors and Cloverbuds. In
2009, about 130 4-H’ers and 50 non-contestants attended the state
contest.
The national program continues to change as well. From
approximately 1998-2001 a program evaluation was conducted, a Web
site became active, and national WHEP trainings were conducted. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Champion International
Corporation and The Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation offered financial
support during several of these years. The U.S. Fish and
Wildlife Service discontinued its support in 2008 when federal
budget cuts precipitated its withdrawal as a sponsor.
Through the years, the handbook was revised with minor changes and
updates. In 2008 substantial changes were introduced to the
Invitational. A wildlife identification activity was added and
the urban plan dropped. A general test of wildlife concepts
and knowledge was added, which includes content from the former
aerial photos and wildlife foods events. The focus of the oral
defense changed from aerial photo selection to the defending the
wildlife plan.
Back to Wildlife Habitat Education Program (WHEP)
|
