Welcome to the Oklahoma WHEP Page

The 4-H Wildlife Habitat Evaluation Program is a national program sponsored by the Cooperative Extension Service, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation, National Rifle Association, and International Paper Company. The program is designed to teach youth about the fundamentals of wildlife and habitat management. Youth will learn to:

Identify common wildlife foods.
Interpret wildlife habitat from aerial photographs.
Prescribe wildlife management practices.
Develop a rural wildlife management plan, and
Develop an urban wildlife management plan.

If you have an interest in developing a WHEP team in your area and are not sure where to start, contact Marley Beem at (405) 744-3854 and we will be happy to arrange a training program in your area to help you get started.

Contest Dates and Locations for 2005

WHEP events are scheduled throughout the spring and early summer in Oklahoma. You must pre-register your team 2 weeks prior to competing in order to participate at any WHEP Contest. You can download a registration form here. For more information on one of the following events, contact Marley Beem at (405) 744-3854.

Event	Date	Location
Eastern Oklahoma Regional Contest	April 16	Keystone State Park
Western Oklahoma Regional Contest	April 23	Lake Thunderbird State Park
Oklahoma State Contest	May 21	Stillwater, OK

The region for the 2005 Contests will be Southeast Mixed

and Outer Coastal Plain Forest.

WHEP manuals, CDs, and promotional materials

A Wildlife Habitat Evaluation Handbook is available for leaders in preparing participants for contests at the district, state, and national levels. These handbooks provide concepts and activities for developing knowledge and skill in the above areas for management of various species of birds, mammals, fishes, amphibians, reptiles, and butterflies. Informational and promotional videos on the program are also available. For general information about WHEP rules, requirements, and sponsors keep reading.

For further information and/or assistance in starting a wildlife habitat evaluation club in your locale, contact your county Extension office or RREA Extension Assistant Marley Beem at (405) 744-3854, 008C Agriculture Hall, OSU, Stillwater, OK 74078. If you would like to visit the official WHEP national web page follow this link. To obtain a hard copy of the revised WHEP manual, or a CD version with power point presentations included, contact:

Rosalyn Weston
State 4-H Office
205 Poultry Science Bldg.
Stillwater, OK 74078
(405) 744-8887

If you would like to download a Power Point Presentation on WHEP, you will first need Power Point or Power Point Viewer (its free), then download one of the files below. These files are very large and will take some time to download, so you might prefer to view the PDF files instead.

Power Point Presentations	WHEP Management Practices	WHEP Species	WHEP Regions
PDF Files	WHEP Management Practices	WHEP Species	WHEP Regions

Contest Format and Rules

The Oklahoma eastern, western, and state contests are 1/2 day events held in either the Wetlands, Great Plains Tallgrass/Mixed Prairie, Great Plains Shortgrass Prairie, Eastern Deciduous Forests, wetlands, or the Southeastern Coastal Plain ecoregions of Oklahoma.

Requirements for Oklahoma Eastern & Western Regional Contests

Competition will be divided into Junior and Senior divisions.
Junior division members must be 9-13 years old.
Senior division members must be 14-19 years old.
Because of the location of Oklahoma's ecoregions, 4-H members from the northwest district and southwest district will compete together in a western contest.
Four-H members from the southeast district and the northeast district will compete together in an eastern contest. The sites of the eastern and western contests will be determined annually.

Requirements for State Contest

Only Senior division members (members who have passed their 14th birthday before January 1 of the current year) are eligible to compete for the state championship and privilege to represent Oklahoma at the national invitational. Junior division members; however, can participate in the state contest.
Participation in a previous contest (county, eastern, western, etc.) is not a requirement for state competition.

Requirements for National Invitational

The first place team (3-4 members) at the State contest earns the right to represent Oklahoma at National.

Limitations

Substitution of team members at the next higher level of competition will only be permitted in cases of extreme hardship.

Awards

State Contest - High individuals and teams will receive awards as determined by the sponsors. The State championship team will recieve a travel grant of $1,000 to attend the National competition.
National - awards are determined annually by the sponsors.

Expenses, Travel, and Time Regulations (National Invitational)

A travel stipend to cover a portion of the expense of traveling to and from the national contest is expected. Delegates and chaperones should expect to cover a significant portion of their own travel expenses.

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Extension Forestry, Wildlife, and Aquaculture is part of the Oklahoma State University Cooperative Extension Service. Division of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources. Forestry Department, 008 Ag Hall, Stillwater, Oklahoma 74078. Phone (405)744-3854. Direct questions or comments concerning this page to Marley Beem, RREA Extension Specialist