Pennsylvania 4-H'ers Participate in National Wildlife Habitat Education Program

This program offers a hands-on environmental education experience, allowing participants to engage in a friendly competition that tests their wildlife expertise. The initiative, organized by 4-H and FFA, is aimed at teaching youth ages 8-19 about wildlife and fisheries habitat management. The ecoregion of focus for this year was woodland.

"At the contest, I learned different ways someone could manage for various species and how to put the strategies into practice," Staples said. "I learned how environment-related careers differ between states. Getting a chance to learn about topics I was not familiar with was my favorite part."

Participants learn about many concepts related to wildlife, such as terms, habitat, how to judge the quality of wildlife habitat, habitat management practices, and wildlife damage management.

Bentz, Franck, and Staples qualified to represent Pennsylvania at the national event through their participation in the Wildlife and Forestry Field Day in May, which gave 4-H members from across Pennsylvania an opportunity to explore their interest in wildlife and forestry. 

"The experience of traveling to another state and seeing how different 4-H groups think was fun," Staples said. "I really enjoyed the contest and would recommend the experience to anyone who enjoys learning about the environment."

The 4-H team's coach at the national event was Justin Heasley, 4-H educator serving Warren and Forest counties.

Administered in Pennsylvania by Penn State Extension, 4-H is a nonformal educational youth-development program of the U.S. Department of Agriculture that helps young people develop knowledge and skills to become capable, caring and contributing citizens. To find your local program, visit the Pennsylvania 4-H website.