White River Valley FFA members fare well at national event

Submitted photo From July 21-27 four members of White River Valley High School FFA participated in the National Wildlife Habitat Evaluation Program in Stillwater, Okla. The team included Ben Held, Patrick Brown, Haily Osborne and Matt Crowe.

The team (pictured at right and below) consisted of Ben Held, Patrick Brown, Haily Osborne, and Matt Crowe and they participated as 4-H members in this contest. In the contest team members had to take a general knowledge identification exam based on wildlife species native to the tall/mixed grass prairie ecosystem as well as general wildlife management concepts, determine what wildlife management practices would be most appropriate to use in a given area of prairie, write a wildlife management plan for the same area, and orally defend their management plan.

Species used in the management plan included eastern cottontail, greater-prairie chicken, northern bobwhite, grasshopper sparrow, and bluegill. There were several other species the team had to have a thorough understanding of to prepare for the contest.

In the end the team placed third overall behind Tennessee and Louisiana. Ben Held led the team by winning second place on the test, first in management practices, first in oral defense, and first overall individual.

Haily Osborne also placed 10th in management practices and the team won third with its written management plan.

For his efforts Ben Held earned two wildlife cameras and a set of binoculars from the Bass Pro Shop and the team as a whole won a nice rock collection (granite plaques).

Patrick Brown placed 17th, Haily Osborne 26th, and Matt Crowe 28th overall.

There were teams from 18 states that competed this year.

The team was also able to participate in several other educational and recreational activities including touring the Anheuser-Busch Brewery in St. Louis, visiting the Bass Pro shop in Springfield, Mo., visiting the Tall Grass Prairie Preserve in Pawhuska, Okla., fishing a couple lakes in Oklahoma, viewing Native American dancers, learning about pioneer life on the plains, touring the Oklahoma Aquarium in Tulsa, and participating in an education day where they learned about grazing management for wildlife, native birds, prescribed burning methods and equipment, and witnessing a prescribed burn.

The team stayed on the campus of Oklahoma State University and was able to enjoy their facilities.

Local sponsors which included UDWI REMC, Indiana Wildlife Society, and the Greene County Longbeards chapter of the National Wild Turkey Federation.