WHEP Basics
Wildlife Habitat Education Program
Gerry Snapp
University of Missouri 4H
Regions
• Ecological regions: Areas of the
country that have similar climate,
vegetation and wildlife.
• WHEP has identified 14 different
regions within the continental United
States…plus 2 special microenvironments that can be found within
any region -Urban and Wetlands.
Missouri Regions
• Look at the US map in the manual.
• How many regions does it show for
Missouri?
• Look at how Missouri experts divide the
state into regions.
Glaciated Prairie
Tallgrass/Mixed Prairie
Un-glaciated Prairie
Tallgrass/Mixed Prairie
Ozark
Eastern Deciduous Forest
Southeastern Lowland
Southeast Mixed Forest
Eastern
Deciduous Forest
Eastern Deciduous Forest
• Most of the terrain is rolling except for the
Appalachian Mountains (& Ozarks) which are
steep.
• Average annual precipitation 35-90 inches
• Summers - hot and dry; Winters –cold
• Final stage of succession is tall broadleaf trees
• Prior to fire-suppression, oak savannahs &
woodlands.
• Large areas of the region have been cleared of
native vegetation for the production of
crops and livestock.
Species – Eastern Deciduous Forest
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American woodcock
brown thrasher
eastern meadowlark
golden-winged
warbler
great horned owl
mourning dove
northern bobwhite
ovenbird
wild turkey
wood duck
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bobcat
eastern cottontail
eastern gray squirrel
gray fox
Indiana bat
white-tailed deer
• eastern box turtle
• timber rattlesnake
• largemouth bass/
bluegill
Tallgrass/Mixed
Prairie
Great Plains Grassland
Tallgrass/Mixed Prairie
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Terrain is flat to rolling plains
Average annual precipitation: 20-40 inches
Winters cold – summers hot
Climax vegetation typically tall grasses, i.e.
bluestems, Indian grass, switchgrass
• Variety of forbs – sunflowers, broomweed,
ragweed
• Shrubs and trees in drainages and other
moist areas.
• Potholes (wetlands) caused by glaciation
Species – Tallgrass/mixed prairie
• blue-winged teal
• dickcissel
• grasshopper
sparrow
• greater prairie
chicken
• mourning dove
• northern bobwhite
• northern harrier
• ring-necked
pheasant
• wild turkey
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coyote
eastern cottontail
red fox
White-tailed deer
• plains hog-nosed
snake
• bluegill/largemouth
bass
Southeast Mixed Forest
• Nothing yet
URBAN
Urban –
• Dense human population, with residential
and/or commercial development, connected
and cris-crossed infrastructure (roads, train
tracks, utilities).
• Great variety of vegetation; annual plantings,
(garden & flowers) perennial grasses & forbs,
shrubs, young and mature trees.
• Landscapes typically manipulated vs. “natural”
• Relatively small and fragmented
• Often dominated by non-native, invasive
vegetation
• Wildlife areas include parks, trails, backyards.
Species - Urban
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American robin
common nighthawk
bluebird*
European starling
house finch
house sparrow
house wren
northern flicker
peregrine falcon
• rock pigeon
• ruby-throated
hummingbird
• song sparrow
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big brown bat
cottontail*
coyote
eastern gray squirrel
raccoon
white-tailed deer
Wetlands • Next on the to-do list
What you need to know
to compete
General – not region specific
• Wildlife management concepts
• Wildlife management terms
What you need to know
to compete
Region Specific
• Species & applicable Wildlife Management
Practices (WMPs) for the specific region
– see Regions section (pgs. 27-85)
• Wildlife species & habitat requirements –
– foods, preferred successional stage, use of
space/edge, etc. (pgs. 86-253)
• Identify the species -hides, tracks, feathers, photos,
eggs, scat, etc.
• Understand the WMPs
(pgs. 254-304)
Wildlife Management Practices
• Practices vary from region to region
• Practices that work for a species in one
region may not be practical for same
species in another region
Species &
WMPs (chart)
How to use the manual
• Determine which ecoregion
• Determine the featured species
• Locate and mark the selected
species in the Wildlife Species
section.
• Locate and mark the appropriate WMPs for
the region/species
• Study!
Tip: No need to duplicate every page of manual for
students – just the featured species
Points to remember
• Wildlife ID – may be male/female;
adult/juvenile
• Full credit – complete common name;
spelled correctly, including correct use
of capitalization.
National Contest
events
I. Wildlife Management Practices – checklist/chart
II. Wildlife management plan
– Written plan (team)
– Oral defense of written plan (individual)
III. Wildlife Challenge
Demonstrate skill at wildlife identification and general wildlife
knowledge including ecoregions, wildlife management concepts &
terms, biology and ecology of the species, identification of common
wildlife foods and which species utilize those foods.
Missouri State Contest
2014
I.
II.
III.
IV.
Wildlife Mgt. Practices
General Wildlife Knowledge
Wildlife ID
Written Management Plan
(simplified for JR)
35 pts.
30 pts.
20 pts.
15 pts.
Written Management Plan
(pages 307 – 312)
• Three pieces of paper provided
• Use one side only of each
• 2 pages for narrative – paragraph form
• 1 page for sketch
– Map of property showing where practices
should be implemented.
• This is a team event
Senior
score
sheet
Junior Score Sheet (M0)