CESYES

National 4-H Contests

National 4-H Forestry Invitational - http://www.invitational.uiuc.edu/

The National 4-H Forestry Invitational is the national championship of 4-H forestry. Each year, since 1980, teams of 4-H Foresters have come to Jackson's Mill State 4-H Conference Center at Weston, WV, to meet, compete, and have fun.

The purpose of the Invitational is to develop appreciation for the importance of conserving forestland as a source of products, benefits, and services necessary for quality living. 4-H Foresters learn citizenship and leadership skills as well as practical forest management skills through participation in the 4-H Forestry Invitational. By learning these skills young people will be better prepared to own forestland or deal with environmental issues in the future.

4-H Foresters participate in forestry skills and knowledge events over 2 days of competition, including:

Tree Identification
Tree Measurement
Forest Evaluation
Compass Orienteering
Topographic Map Use
Forest Insect and Disease Identification
Forestry Bowl
Forestry Written Exam

Additional Invitational activities include local tours, campfires, and woodsmen skills fun competition.

The Invitational is sponsored by the International Paper Company Foundation through the Cooperative Extension Service. The event is organized and conducted by a management committee comprised of Cooperative Extension Service specialists and agents, International Paper Company employees, and professional foresters from the U.S. Forest Service, the West Virginia Division of Forestry and forestry agencies from other state governments.

Wildlife Habitat Evaluation Program - http://www.aces.edu/dept/WHEP/

WHEP (Wildlife Habitat Evaluation Program) is a 4-H youth natural resource program dedicated to teaching wildlife and fisheries habitat management to junior and senior level (ages 8-19) youth in the United States.
Participants learn how to:

Identify common wildlife foods
Judge quality of wildlife habitat from aerial photographs
Recommend wildlife management practices
Develop a rural wildlife management plan
Develop an urban wildlife management plan

WHEP started out as as "Wildlife Judging," a state-wide program in Tennessee created by Jim Byford and Tom Hill from the Tennessee Agriculture Extension Service in 1978. The program soon grew to include other southeastern states. The first regional contest was held in Mississippi in 1987.

In 1989, "Wildlife Judging" went nationwide. The national event was held in West Virginia with the support of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the International Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies.

The program was officially named WHEP in 1990, and the national contest was moved to different regions each year, exposing participants to wildlife habitats and practices unique to those regions. National contest sites have included the North Carolina Atlantic coast, the Prairie Pothole regions in North Dakota, the Texas Hill Country and the Idaho Rocky Mountains.

In 1996, WHEP won The Wildlife Society's Conservation Education Award. It's reputation as a quality wildlife and fisheries educational experience for youth and adults attracted the attention of several additional national sponsors including Champion International Corporation, Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation, and the National Rifle Association. WHEP also earned a solid reputation for being a 4-H program that fostered relationships between professional wildlife and fisheries biologists, volunteers, parents, youth, teachers, farmers and ranchers, as well as one that taught essential life skills such as oral and written communication and decision-making. WHEP helped youth strengthen their self-concept and character through interaction with other young people from their own state and different parts of the country.

Participation in WHEP grew from 5 states in 1989 to 26 states in 1997. About 10,000 4-H'ers nationwide participate in WHEP now, and the number continues to increase.

National Land & Range Judging Contests - http://clay.agr.okstate.edu/plantsoilsci/services/landjudge/landjudging.htm

The National Land & Range Judging Contest was organized by a handful of individuals who envisioned a land judging contest similar to livestock judging. They set out to determine what soil properties and conditions could be judged and developed procedures for the contest.

The first contest was held in 1943 and billed the "Soil Rodeo." Similar local and state events were soon organized throughout the nation. In 1951, only eight years later, an Oklahoma City radio station sponsored the first national contest. Pasture and range judging contests were added four years later. The homesite evaluation contest was added in 1972. In 1955, foreign countries were represented at the contest for the first time. Since then, 29 nations have participated. As many as 16 nations were represented one year.

The continuing success of the annual contest can be attributed to the enthusiasm of over 100 dedicated people who comprise 23 key committees. These volunteers are responsible for the myriad of activities and tasks that are required when 1000 contestants, coaches, and sponsors come to Oklahoma City for the competition. Over the last decade, several states won titles in 4-H and FFA team divisions: Florida, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Montana, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, Washington, and West Virginia.

No matter what happens in this year's contest, everyone will return home a winner. Contestants will enjoy the excitement of national competition and increase their knowledge of agricultural and urban land evaluation, and range and wildlife management which can be applied to almost any field these leaders of tomorrow may pursue.