Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Wildlife Habitat
Evaluation Program
Learning and Activity Guide
Revised by:
Renee Strnad
Environmental Education Assistant
College of Natural Resources
Department of Forestry
North Carolina State University
September 2003 3rd Edition
Based on original Tennessee edition by Drs. James Byford and Tom Hill, 1991
AND
National Edition by:
Dr. Delwin E. Benson
Cooperative Extension Wildlife Specialist
Department of Fishery and Wildlife Biology
Colorado State University
Edward L. Neilson, Jr.
Area Biologist
USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service
Montrose, Colorado
Revised by National WHEP Revision Committee, 1999
Table of Contents
Introduction
6
13
23
32
33
37
41
44
Contest Rules
48
Appendix
51
Introduction
Biologists most often manage wildlife by manipulating its habitat. If, for
example, a landowner desires more quail, we improve quail habitat using prescribed fire,
timber harvests, and plantings. The Wildlife Habitat Evaluation Program (WHEP)
teaches youth about wildlife habitat and how to manage it. Youth learn, match wits with
4-H'ers across North Carolina, and have the opportunity to win awards.
This manual was designed to provide a step-by-step guide for volunteer leaders
and WHEP coaches and a place for participants to go for needed information. The
Principles of Wildlife Management in North Carolina section the manual covers, in
detail, the basic principles of wildlife management including concepts and terms, habitat
needs for wildlife, and wildlife management practices used in North Carolina. Questions
and activities in the WHEP contest will be based upon the information provided in this
section. The Contest section describes the contest, the four different activities with
practice scorecards, and tips to help each participant perform successfully.
In some regions, natural factors such as the soil or the climate will prevent succession
from proceeding past a certain stage. For instance, in the Great Plains, lack of
precipitation often prevents succession from proceeding past stage 3. In this case, stage 3
would be considered the climax stage. A single step in this succession may take weeks,
months, years, or even centuries depending on a variety of natural and human-caused
factors. If vegetation is disturbed, succession will revert to an earlier stage and begin
again. Disturbance can be caused by natural factors such as insect or disease outbreaks,
tornadoes, hurricanes, avalanches, or naturally occurring fires. More frequently, humans
7
alter succession by plowing (agriculture), burning, cutting forests, grazing, and clearing
shrubby areas, which may mimic natural disturbances.
Different wildlife species prefer different stages of plant succession. For example,
quail prefer stage 2, deer prefer stage 4 and squirrels prefer stage 6. This will be
discussed more thoroughly in the Habitat Needs for Wildlife section. Wildlife managers
can encourage the wildlife species of interest by manipulating plant succession with
management practices to meet the needs of those species.
Nature never gives up. Even abandoned concrete parking lots are eventually taken
over by plants, which first grow in the cracks and around the edges. If left alone,
concrete parking lots will eventually become "habitat" for wildlife.
wildlife. Some species obtain all their habitat requirements from only one successional
stage. Mixing plots of different successional stages within an area is called interspersion.
Usually, more interspersion supports a greater variety of wildlife.
Concept 7--Corridors
Corridors are areas of continuous habitat that permit animals to travel securely from
one habitat to another. As environments become more broken up (fragmented) from
construction of roads, parking lots, urban areas, clearing for agriculture, etc., small
islands of vegetation remain. Corridors allow animals to find and use the islands of
suitable habitat. For example, in an urban area, relatively unbroken corridors found along
riparian areas and ravines allow wildlife to move into parks and other suitable habitats.
Conservation, maintenance, and creation of unbroken corridors are very important in
wildlife habitat management.
10
oxygen concentrations tend to increase throughout the day. At night, everything living in
the pond (fish, plants, insects, bacteria, etc.) consumes oxygen and the dissolved oxygen
levels fall. Under normal conditions dissolved oxygen will not fall below 4 ppm
overnight.
Alkalinity, hardness, and pH of pond water are related to soil and vegetation in the
watershed and in the pond. Ponds should have a pH that fluctuates between 6.5 and 9,
and alkalinity and hardness of at least 20 ppm. Many soils are acidic and need to be
limed to adjust the pH, alkalinity, and hardness upward to a range that will promote
growth of natural food organisms. Usual liming rates can range from 1 to 5 tons per acre.
Food Pyramid
11
12
American Kestrel
Habitat Requirements
Food: Kestrels primarily eat insects and
small mammals associated with open areas.
Brush chop small areas (40 acres maximum, 10
to 20 acres preferred) in large expanses of stage
4 (shrub) vegetation.
Prescribe burn (40 acres maximum, 10 to 20
acres preferred) in large expanses of stage 4, 5,
and 6 vegetation.
Clear-cut areas in large expanses of stage 5 and
6 woodlands.
Manage livestock grazing to leave enough
herbaceous cover to support insects and small
rodents.
Cover: Kestrels nest in tree cavities and
other sites including holes in cliffs, canyon
walls, and artificial
nesting boxes.
Maintain small areas
of stage 5 and 6
vegetation interspersed
with stage 2 and 3
vegetation.
Plant trees in large
open areas (irrigate if
necessary) on idle
lands.
Provide nesting
boxes in areas lacking adequate tree cavities
(boxes can be placed on fence posts in open
areas).
Manage livestock grazing to maintain trees in
riparian areas.
Water: Kestrels obtain necessary water from
their diet.
Broad-winged Hawk
General Habitat Preference
Broad-winged hawks prefer continuous dry
woodlands of oaks, beeches, maples and mixed
coniferous-hardwoods in stages 5 and 6 around
lakes, streams, and swamps.
Habitat Requirements
Food: These hawks hunt for small mammals
like mice, moles, and squirrels from perches in
deep shady woodlands or when flying over
treetops or open meadows. Broad-winged hawks
will also eat snakes, frogs, lizards, and large
insects.
Cover: Broad-winged hawks nest near water
in a variety of tree species from 25-90 feet high.
Old crow, hawk, and squirrel nests are sometimes
used.
Leave snags and cavity trees in clear-cuts or
use selection cutting.
Leave corridors.
Provide suitable habitats for prey by creating
water developments if necessary.
Manage livestock grazing to maintain cover
for prey.
Water: Broad-winged hawks obtain
necessary water from their diet.
American Robin
General Habitat Preference
Robins prefer urban settings with large open
areas and nearby trees and shrubs. Parks, golf
courses, and lawns in residential areas are
favorites.
13
Brown Thrasher
General Habitat Preference
Thrashers prefer stages 3 and 4 of plant
succession or dense, woody vegetation
associated with shrub thickets, hedgerows, field
borders, forest edges, riparian areas, and young
forests.
Habitat Requirements
Food: Thrashers primarily feed on
invertebrates and plant seeds on the ground and
occasionally feed on fruits and berries in shrubs
and trees. More food is available in areas with
thicker layers of ground litter. The management
practices listed under cover will usually supply
sufficient food.
Cover: Nesting and hiding cover are
supplied by dense shrubs with a few trees.
Thrashers will use areas without trees, but need a
minimum of 2.5 acres of woody vegetation to
support a breeding population.
Selection cut forests in large expanses of stage
5 or 6 woodland.
Clear-cut timber harvest can improve habitat
once succession proceeds beyond stage 4 after
harvest.
Plant shrubs and trees (hedgerows, field
borders, clumps).
Use brush chopping and prescribed burning to
rejuvenate and improve habitat in large areas of
old stage 4 vegetation.
Manage livestock grazing in riparian areas and
other woody areas so shrubs and trees can
regenerate and ground litter is present. Grazing
in the winter usually does less damage to woody
vegetation than at other times of year.
Water: Requirements unknown.
Habitat Requirements
Food: Open areas near woodlands, like
marshes and meadows, are required for hunting.
Great horned owls have a varied diet, but prefer
small to medium sized mammals and birds.
Reptiles, amphibians, large insects, and fish are
also taken.
Cover: Great horned owls use large tree
cavities, stumps, caves, ledges, and abandoned
nests of hawks, herons and crows.
Leave snags and cavity trees for nesting and
perching after harvesting trees.
Construct perching poles and nest boxes where
nest sites are limited.
Plant grasses and forbs for prey cover.
Manage livestock grazing.
Create openings in large stands of stage 5 and
6 woodlands by use of selection cuts or small
clear-cuts.
Water: Great horned owls obtain necessary
water from their diet.
Special: Wildlife damage management may
be required to reduce free range poultry loss.
Eastern Bluebird
General Habitat Preference
Bluebirds prefer stages 2 and 3 of plant
succession interspersed with stages 5 and 6
vegetation.
Habitat Requirements
Food: Bluebirds usually forage in open areas
with insects and spiders making up a large
portion of the diet, but including a limited
amount of fruit.
Clear-cut small areas (40 acres maximum, 10
to 20 acres preferred) in large expanses of stage
5 and 6 woodland.
Brush chop small areas (40 acres maximum, 10
to 20 acres preferred) in large expanses of stage
4 vegetation.
14
Hairy Woodpecker
General Habitat Preference
Hairy woodpeckers prefer stages 4, 5, and 6
of plant succession, but will use areas of stage 3
with mature trees nearby. These woodpeckers
also use wooded urban and riparian areas.
Habitat Requirements
Food: The majority of food is animal matter
such as ants, beetle larvae, caterpillars, and adult
beetles, but the diet is supplemented with fruits
and nuts. Hairy woodpeckers feed in a variety of
places such as tree trunks, stumps, snags,
downed logs, and the ground. Where adequate
cover exists, food usually is not limiting.
Cover: Holes are excavated in mature and
dying trees (snags) for nesting.
Maintain areas with large mature and dying
trees, especially in open areas. Within wooded
areas, maintain at least one large snag per acre.
Manage livestock grazing in riparian areas to
maintain trees. Grazing during the dormant
season (fall and winter) usually does less damage
to woody vegetation than at other times of year.
Water: Hairy woodpeckers probably obtain
necessary water from diet.
Habitat Requirements
Food: Mallards' winter diet includes waste
agricultural grains, aquatic plants, and
invertebrates. Long distances are flown to feed,
but food closer to cover is more valuable.
Provide waste grains by not tilling grain fields
or leave some grain unharvested.
Flood grain fields, planted food plots, and oak
woodlands in the winter using small dikes.
Build ponds and reservoirs with some shallow
water (less than two feet deep) so aquatic
vegetation can grow.
Cover: Mallards rest on open bodies of water
including streams, rivers, and warm water
sloughs that are not disturbed. They also rest on
ice in the middle of lakes.
Build ponds, reservoirs, and sloughs.
Livestock drinking developments like dugouts
and catchment ponds are also used for resting.
Some cover should be maintained in shallow
areas by managing livestock grazing.
Keep human disturbance to a minimum.
Water: Mallards use water as described above.
Hummingbirds
General Habitat Preference
Hummingbirds are found in or near mixed
woodlands and forests rich in flowering plants.
They prefer stages 5 and 6 of plant succession
mixed with areas in stages 2, 3, and 4. In urban
settings, they prefer areas with large trees and
nearby flowering plants.
Habitat Requirements
Food: Hummingbirds require high-energy
foods, including nectar from flowers and insects
found on flowers. Nectar is high in sugars that
supply the needed energy and insects are an
important source of protein.
Plant flowers, flowering shrubs, and trees,
especially red, tubular flowers, including azaleas,
crossvine, morning glory, evening primrose,
columbine, cardinal flower, native honeysuckle,
lilac, trumpet vine, and various fruit trees.
Use artificial feeders filled with sugar water as
a substitute (1 part table sugar to 4 parts warm
water). Never use honey or artificial colorings.
Keep feeders clean.
Use insecticides only when necessary and
carefully follow instructions on the label.
Cover: Hummingbirds construct small nests
on tree branches, usually 5 to 20 feet above the
ground. Occasionally, they build nests in
Mourning Dove
General Habitat Preference
Doves prefer stages 2 and 3 of plant
succession with some shrubs and trees nearby
and often use agricultural areas for feeding.
Habitat Requirements
Food: Doves eat waste grain from cropland
and a variety of grass and forb seeds.
Do not till in fall after harvest of small grain
crops. Leave waste grain available.
Leave some areas of small grains including
wheat, barley, millet, milo, and oats unharvested.
Plant annual food plots in areas lacking grain.
15
Ovenbird
General Habitat Preference
Northern Bobwhite
Habitat Requirements
Food: The diet of ovenbirds in comprised of
insects, slugs, snails, and earthworms.
Occasionally, seeds and fruits are eaten.
Selection cuts in large expanses of stage 6
woodlands can increase the amounts of insects.
Cover: Ovenbirds make arched nests on the
ground out of grasses and weed stems. The nest
is hidden in vegetation on the forest floor, which
also is used as hiding cover.
Manage livestock grazing to leave herbaceous
cover for nesting. Spring grazing can be
detrimental to nesting habitat.
Selection cuts in large expanses of stage 6
woodlands would increase cover.
Plant trees and shrubs in large areas of stages 3
and 4 of plant succession.
Water: Water is obtained from diet.
Habitat Requirements
Food: Young quail eat insects. Adults eat a
variety of seeds, green vegetation (mostly forbs),
insects, and small grains.
Plant 1/8 to 1/4-acre annual food plots in areas
with too little cropland. One plot per 15 acres
maximum.
Leave some grain unharvested.
Plant 1/8 to 1/4 acre perennial food plots in
areas with too little permanent food and cover,
making sure not to exceed 1 plot per 15 acres.
Clear-cut small areas (small, 10-acre patches or
strips) in large expanses of stage 5 and 6
woodland.
Selection cut stage 6 woodlands.
Brush chop small areas (10 acres or less) in
large expanses of stage 4 vegetation.
16
Red-eyed Vireo
General Habitat Preference
Red-eyed vireos are associated with stages 5
and 6 of plant succession in open deciduous and
mixed forests with a dense understory, in
wooded clearings, and on the borders of areas
maintained by prescribed fires. They can also be
found in upland and river bottom forests, but
seldom where conifers make up 75 percent of the
overstory area. Shade trees forming a
continuous canopy in residential areas provide an
urban habitat.
Habitat Requirements
Food: A red-eyed vireo's diet consists of
insects on the leaf surfaces in the mid to upper
tree canopies. Spiders, snails, fruits, and berries
are also eaten.
Selection cuts in large expanses of stage 6
woodlands will increase the number of insects.
Cover: These vireos nest in deciduous or
coniferous trees and shrubs as high as 100 feet
off the ground.
Selection cuts in large expanses of stage 6
woodland increase cover.
Plant trees and shrubs in areas of stages 3 and
4 of plant succession.
Livestock grazing does not measurably effect
red-eyed vireos.
Water: Water is obtained from diet.
Ruffed Grouse
General Habitat Preference
Ruffed grouse prefer stages 4, 5, and 6 of plant
succession. Optimum habitat includes all three
stages interspersed in close relation to each
other.
Habitat Requirements
Food: Ruffed grouse forage on twigs, buds,
and flowers of trees and shrubs. Buds of
deciduous trees are needed for winter survival.
Young grouse eat insects.
Clear-cut small areas (40 acres maximum, 10
to 20 acres preferred) in large expanses of stage
6 woodlands. Benefits from this management
practice will not be visible until stage 4 and 5
vegetation becomes established.
Prescribe burn to maintain plant succession in
stages 4, 5 and 6.
Selection cuts in large areas of stage 6
woodland.
Manage livestock grazing to maintain young
deciduous trees and shrubs.
Create drumming log sites.
Cover: Winter cover is considered most
critical. Grouse use shrubs, deciduous, and
conifer trees for cover. Cover can be improved
with the management practices listed above.
Water: Ruffed grouse obtain necessary water
from their diet.
Red-tailed Hawk
General Habitat Preferences
Red-tailed hawks prefer open areas in stages 2
and 3 of plant succession interspersed with trees.
Single trees in open areas are often utilized.
Habitat Requirements
Food: Small mammals such as gray
squirrels, rabbits, and mice are the major food
items for red-tailed hawks. Smaller birds and
reptiles are sometimes eaten.
Manage livestock grazing to maintain some
open areas with enough herbaceous ground layer
for small prey animals.
In large areas of stage 4 succession, use
prescribed burns or brush chopping to revert
succession to stage 3.
Prescribed burns and brush chopping can also
be used to improve small mammal habitat in
stage 3 of plant succession.
Clear-cut small areas (40 acres maximum) in
large expanses of stage 4, 5, and 6 woodlands.
Provide perching poles or plant trees in areas
where large trees are absent.
Wild Turkey
General Habitat Preference
Turkeys prefer 1/2 to 3/4 of their range in
stages 5 and 6 of plant succession interspersed
with areas in stages 3 and 4.
Habitat Requirements
Food: Turkeys feed mostly on the ground
for herbaceous plant seeds, nuts, acorns, and
17
Habitat Requirements
Food: These ducks eat fruits and nuts of
woody plants, some grains, seeds of water lily
and other aquatic plants, and some insects.
Insects are used by young wood ducks.
During late fall and winter, temporarily flood
stage 5 deciduous woodland with mast trees,
such as oak, and grain crops. Natural flooding
may occur, or small dikes and water control
structures may be used.
Leave small areas of cropland that are near
wetlands and open water unharvested.
Plant mast trees adjacent to wetlands or in
areas that can be temporarily flooded.
Selection cutting of woodlands that can be
flooded is desirable to improve mast production.
Construct ponds and/or wetlands and provide
shallow water areas where aquatic emergent
vegetation can grow.
Manage livestock grazing to maintain thick
herbaceous vegetation surrounding pond and in
watershed that drains into pond. Develop
livestock watering facilities away from pond or
allow access to only a small area of pond.
Cover: Wood ducks nest in cavities in trees
of flooded woodlands or adjacent to water and
use wetlands with an abundance of aquatic
vegetation to raise young.
Nest boxes should be provided if adequate nest
sites are limited.
Plant trees for future nesting sites.
Construct ponds and wetlands. Provide shallow
water areas where aquatic emergent vegetation
can grow. Control water level to provide open
shallow water areas adjacent to areas dominated
by emergent aquatic vegetation.
Remove trees near dam. Repair spillway. Stop
leaks in ponds.
Water: Require water as described above.
Bobcat
General Habitat Preferences
Bobcats are often associated with farmlands
in stages 2 and 3 of plant succession, stage 4
brushy areas, and stage 5 and 6 wooded uplands
and bottomland forests. The bobcat is classified
as a furbearing game species in North Carolina.
Habitat Requirements
Wood Duck
18
Eastern Cottontail
General Habitat Preference
Cottontails prefer stages 3 and 4 of plant
succession. Ideally, habitat components are 1/3
grassland, 1/3 cropland, and 1/3 shrub cover all
interspersed together. Cottontail rabbits also use
parks, golf courses, and stream corridors in urban
areas.
Habitat Requirements
Food: A variety of forbs and grasses are
eaten from spring through fall. In winter, rabbits
often eat bark of shrubs and trees.
Plant 1/8 to 1/4 acre annual food crops (grain
sorghum is good) in areas with too little
cropland. One plot per 15 acres maximum.
Plant 1/8 to 1/4-acre perennial food crops
(grass and clover) in areas with too little
grassland. Again, 1 plot per 15 acres maximum.
Brush chopping and prescribed burns can be
used to maintain or rejuvenate small areas of
stage 3 and 4 vegetation.
Clear-cut or selection cut small areas (10 acres
maximum) in large expanses of stage 5 and 6
woodlands.
Livestock grazing management should avoid
use of food and cover plots, and leave ample
amounts of herbaceous vegetation in other areas
used by cottontails for food and cover.
Lime fields as needed when determined
necessary by soil tests.
Cover: Eastern cottontails use thick shrub or
herbaceous vegetation for hiding and resting
cover.
Plant shrubs in large areas of stage 2 and 3 of
plant succession, or in agricultural areas having
few trees or shrubs. Plant along field borders,
fence rows, or other idle land areas. This also is
appropriate for open areas in urban settings.
Provide brush piles where additional cover is
needed. In urban areas this practice may not be
compatible with the landowners landscaping
goals.
Water: Rabbits obtain necessary water from
their diet.
Coyote
General Habitat Preference
Coyotes prefer stages 2, 3, and 4 of
succession in grass and timber areas cleared for
agriculture, but have also been seen in urban
areas. Dens are often located on brush covered
slopes, steep banks, rock ledges, thickets, and
hollow logs. Coyotes live in packs, alone, or in
mated pairs.
Habitat Requirements
Food: Coyotes are opportunist feeders,
meaning they will eat about anything that will fit
in their mouth. Small mammals, rodents, birds,
frogs, snakes, insects, fruit, and carrion are all
part of the coyote's diet.
Small clear-cuts can increase prey abundance.
Cover: Den and resting sites are important.
Plant shrubs where cover is sparse.
Manage livestock grazing to maintain cover
for prey species.
Water: Water use by coyotes is not well
known, but most of water requirements are met
with diet.
Special: Wildlife damage management may
be necessary for game managers and livestock
producers. Coyotes sometimes take young
livestock, domestic poultry, and deer fawns.
Gray Squirrel
General Habitat Preference
Gray squirrels prefer deciduous woodlands
in stages 5 and 6 of plant succession.
Habitat Requirements
Food: Squirrels spend much time foraging on
the ground, feeding on a variety of nuts, grains,
acorns, seeds, mushrooms, and buds.
19
White-tailed Deer
General Habitat Preference
Deer prefer stages 3, 4, and 5 of plant
succession interspersed.
Habitat Requirements
Food: Deer eat a variety of shrubs, forbs,
grasses, waste grain, acorns and nuts.
Clear-cut small areas (40 acres maximum, 10
to 20 acres preferred) in large expanses of stage
5 and 6 woodlands.
Selection cut stage 5 and 6 woodlands.
Plant several 1-acre perennial food plots of
grass and clover in large expanses of stage 5 and
6 woodland.
Plant annual food plots to grain.
Plant mast trees.
Leave small areas of cropland adjacent to
woodlands unharvested.
Eliminate fall tillage of grain crop residue
adjacent to woodlands.
Prescribe burn at 3 year intervals in stage 5 and
6 woodlands or periodically in stage 3 and 4
vegetation.
Brush chop small areas to maintain stage 3 and
4 vegetation.
Manage livestock grazing to leave some forbs,
grasses, shrubs, and trees available for food and
cover. May include the development of livestock
watering facilities in upland areas to discourage
congregation of livestock and overuse in riparian
areas.
Lime fields as needed when determined
necessary by soil tests.
Cover: Deer use woodlands and tall shrubs
for hiding and travel cover.
Raccoon
General Habitat Preference
Raccoons are abundant near water, riparian
areas, and lands adjacent to wetlands. Riparian
areas in stages 5 and 6 of plant succession are
ideal, even though they can be found in all stages
and even in highly populated urban areas.
Habitat Requirements
Food: Raccoons eat a wide variety of food
including eggs, birds, fish, small mammals,
insects, crayfish, grains, fruit, garbage and pet
food.
Manage livestock grazing along the banks and
shores of streams, rivers, and other wetlands to
maintain healthy vegetation.
Prescribed burns and brush chopping can
rejuvenate old wetland vegetation and revert
succession to stages 2, 3, and 4 where
appropriate.
Control water level if possible to provide areas
less than two feet deep where emergent water
plants can grow. Construct ponds and wetlands
with shallow water areas for water plants.
Leave small areas of grain crops unharvested
near woodlands or plant annual grain foodplots.
20
Habitat Requirements
Food: Frogs eat insects.
Cover: Frogs hide in thick, herbaceous
vegetation on the bank or shore adjacent to water
or among floating vegetation in the water
adjacent to the bank.
Construct ponds and wetlands. Include both
shallow water, to encourage emergent aquatic
vegetation, and deep water, for hibernation.
Small backyard pools often are adequate.
Control water levels with water control devices
to insure adequate water depth for hibernation.
Water: Frogs need water to hide. Many
kinds of frogs will dry up and die if their skin is
not kept moist.
Butterflies
General Habitat Preference
In urban areas, butterflies are found in
gardens, yards, and parks planted with attractive
shrubs and flowers. They often lay eggs on a
specific plant species.
Largemouth Bass/Bluegill
General Habitat Preference
These fish are present in ponds, lakes, and
slow-moving rivers/streams.
Habitat Requirements:
Food: Young bass eat insects and other
invertebrates (worms, crayfish, and
zooplankton). These invertebrates depend on
phytoplankton for food. Adult bass eat other
small fish such as bluegill and a variety of
minnows, tadpoles, and crayfish. Bluegill eat a
variety of insects, zooplankton (microscopic
animal life), tadpoles, small minnows, and
crayfish.
Construct ponds. Maintain a green color in
pond water (green enough that a white disk
cannot be seen 24 inches below the water
surface). The green color is caused by
phytoplankton (microscopic plant life--algae).
In clear water, fertilizer may be added to
increase phytoplankton.
Determine pond balance using a minnow seine.
A bass-to-bluegill ratio of 3 to 6 pounds of
bluegill to 1 pound of bass is considered a good
fish population balance.
Harvest more or fewer bluegill depending on
seine sample results.
Harvest more or fewer bass.
Remove existing fish and restock pond.
Prevent or clear up muddy water (brown or
gray color). Muddy water blocks sunlight
needed in producing phytoplankton.
Manage livestock grazing to maintain thick
herbaceous vegetation surrounding pond and in
watershed that drains into pond. Develop
livestock watering facilities away from pond or
allow access to only a small area of pond.
Reseed watershed.
Habitat Requirements
Food: Butterflies usually drink nectar from
flowers.
Plant and maintain native shrubs and flowers
that attract butterflies. Some examples are aster,
verbena, milkweed, coneflower, blazing star, and
butterfly weed.
Plant and maintain specific types of plants on
which butterflies lay eggs. Some examples are
chokecherry and cottonwood for tiger
swallowtails; dill, parsley, and carrot for black
swallowtail; hollyhock and sunflower for painted
lady; and clover for clouded sulfur butterflies.
Cover: Use plantings to provide shelter from
wind.
Water: Some butterflies can be seen
collecting water on moist sand or mud around
water puddles.
Provide an area with water puddles to attract
groups of these butterflies.
Frogs
General Habitat Preference
Frogs prefer weeds and aquatic vegetation on
the edges of ponds, lakes, and slow-moving
streams. Mud bottoms are needed so frogs can
bury themselves for hibernation during the
winter.
21
22
23
1. Artificial Feeders
General Description
Feeders are used primarily to feed wildlife in
urban areas. A wide variety of feeder designs,
methods, and different foods exist. Sunflower
seeds and white proso millet are universal
favorites. Some species prefer to eat fat rather
than seeds. Some prefer to eat on the ground
rather than in a tree or on a balcony. Research
the featured species for feeding preferences.
Effect On Habitat
Effect On Habitat
Annual Burning:
Burning in stage 2 helps keep vegetative
succession in stage 2.
Burning stage 3 helps keep vegetative
succession in stage 3.
Burning stage 4 causes succession to revert to
stage 3.
Burning stage 5 and 6 keeps understory shrubs
thinned out and stimulates grassy-weedy
undergrowth if stands are properly thinned.
3- to 5-Year Interval Burning:
Burning stage 2 allows succession to progress,
but more slowly than if left alone.
Burning stage 3 usually keeps vegetative
succession in stage 3.
Periodic burning of vegetation-choked
wetlands can improve the water and cover
interspersion.
Burning stage 4 increases shrub growth
through increased resprouting.
Burning stage 5 and 6, in pines, stimulates
thicker understory shrubs if stands are properly
thinned.
3. Brush Piles
General Description
Brush piles can be made from saplings or tree
branches available from land clearing, timber
harvest operations, tree pruning, and other
management practices. For best results, piles
should be 3 to 5 feet high 15 feet in diameter and
very loose. This will allow grass and forbs to
grow in them, creating more food and cover for
wildlife. Brush piles can be used in ponds to
provide hiding places for small fish.
Effect On Habitat
4. Prescribed ("Controlled")
Burning
General Description
Burning should be done under cool, moist,
low-wind conditions, when danger of wildfire is
24
Fish Surveys
5. Disking
General Description
Areas in successional stages 2, 3, and 4 can
be disked to promote the growth of annual and
perennial forbs and grasses.
Effect On Habitat
8. Harvest Less
Bass
Needed when seine samples and fishing
records of pond reveal these situations:
No recent bluegill hatch.
Many medium-sized bluegill in poor condition.
Bass few, large, and in good condition.
Bluegill
Needed when seine sample and fishing
records of pond reveal these situations:
Many recently hatched bluegill.
Very few medium-sized bluegill.
Bass less than one pound in poor condition.
No young bass.
9. Harvest More
Bass
Needed when seine sample and fishing
records of pond reveal these situations.
Many recently hatched bluegill.
Very few medium-sized bluegill.
Bass less than one pound and in poor
condition.
No young bass.
Increase bass harvest cautiously. Spread the
harvest over the entire summer.
Effect On Habitat
Bluegill
Needed when seine sample and fishing
records of pond reveal these situations:
No recent bluegill hatch.
Many medium-sized bluegill in poor condition.
Bass few, large, and in good condition.
25
General Principles
Proper Grazing Use: On native
rangelands and riparian areas, do not graze more
than 50 percent of the yearly growth of
vegetation preferred by livestock.
Timing: Avoid grazing areas during periods
when wildlife and/or vegetation is vulnerable to
damage. For example, grazing riparian areas in
the summer can damage young shrubs and trees
and grazing in spring can reduce cover needed
by ground-nesting wildlife.
Intensity: High intensity grazing, or many
animals grazing at once, should not be allowed
for long periods and should not be used in
important nesting areas during the nesting
season.
Rotation: Livestock should be moved from
an area before vegetation is over-used. The
vegetation is allowed to recover before it is
grazed again.
Grazing Cattle
Effect On Habitat
If properly managed, livestock grazing
usually is not harmful and in some instances may
improve wildlife habitat. Changes in grazing
management are recommended only when it is
evident that livestock use is damaging wildlife
habitat or is needed to improve the habitat for
selected wildlife species. Periodic grazing of
vegetation choked wetlands can improve water
and vegetation interspersion.
Tools
General Description
The particular design and placement of
nesting structures and boxes often determines
which wildlife species will use the structure.
Boxes: Some specific species nest in cavities
that they don't excavate themselves. If natural
cavities are not available, artificial cavities or
nest boxes will be used. Each wildlife species
needs a certain kind of cavity (diameter of hole,
26
Effect On Habitat
Boxes are especially useful in woodlands in
stage 5 succession, where trees are not old
enough to provide cavities. In stages 2, 3, and 4,
boxes are useful unless an abundance of nesting
cavities or locations already exist.
Effect On Habitat
Effect On Habitat
Annuals: Planting grains is useful in areas of
natural plant succession where row-crops
including corn, soybeans, grain sorghum, and
other small grains are scarce. One small (1/8 to
1/4 acre) plot per 15 acres or large (1 to 2 acres)
plot per 60 acres is sufficient.
Perennials: Grasses, clovers, and other
forbs are useful in areas of row-crop farming
especially where shrub field borders are scarce.
These plots provide both food and cover for
many wildlife species.
General Description
Plant fields (2 to 40 acres) of native grasses,
legumes, and wildflowers in large expanses of
stage 4, 5, and 6 vegetation.
Effect On Habitat
27
Effect On Habitat
Effect On Habitat
Useful in large forested areas with very little
acreage in stages 2, 3, and 4, of succession.
Reverts stages 5 and 6 to 2, 3, and 4, with more
emphasis on stage 4. At least 3 to 4 den and/or
large mature trees per acre should be left after
the cut.
General Description
General Description
Effect on Habitat
Selection cuts stimulate shrub, grass, and
forb understory production in woodlands where
sunlight is increased. Mast-producing and
adjacent mature trees also benefit. At least three
28
Effect On Habitat
Effect On Habitat
25. Ponds--Fertilize
General Description
General Description
To deepen pond edges, draw the water down,
let banks dry out, and use a tractor with a blade.
Edges should be deepened to a minimum of 2 to
3 feet with steep side slopes. Soil removed from
the edge can be piled around the bank and then
smoothed out and planted to grass and legumes.
Effect On Habitat
29
Effect On Habitat
General description
If a pond's watershed does not have enough
vegetation to slow down rainfall runoff and
encourage percolation, then reseed the
watershed.
Effect On Habitat
General Description
Because tree roots loosen the compacted soil
and cause leaks, any trees on a pond dam must
be removed. No more than 1/3 of the remaining
pond bank should be occupied by trees.
Effect On Habitat
29. Ponds--Restock
General Description
General Description
Repair needed if spillway in existing dam or
dike is eroding or otherwise damaged, thereby
keeping the pond water level too low and
increasing the chance of the dam washing away
during heavy rains.
Effect On Habitat
The techniques of draining or rotenoning
ponds allow unbalanced fish populations to be
removed and new ones started with a balanced
ratio of bass to bluegill. Needed in ponds with:
Extremely unbalanced fish populations.
An overabundance of small, stunted bluegill.
Few, hard-to-catch fish of usable size.
Presence of wild fish such as carp, shad,
goldfish, suckers, crappie, green sunfish, or
bullhead catfish.
Pond Repair
Effect On Habitat
30
31. Ponds/Wetlands--Provide
Shallow Water/ Islands/
Peninsulas
General Description
To increase emergent aquatic vegetation
and/or provide islands and peninsulas for
wildlife, but only for existing ponds and
wetlands. Not recommended for areas with
moving water such as rivers and streams. Draw
the water down, let the area dry out, and use a
tractor with a blade and front-end loader.
Effect On Habitat
31
The Contest
There are four parts of the wildlife habitat evaluation program:
You will be scored on how well you complete each part of the program.
In each section you'll be given suggestions about what to study as you prepare for
that part of the program. You'll also be shown a sample scorecard or be given a
description of the activity you'll be scored on. Examples will be given showing how to
complete the scorecard or activity.
32
Activity I
(30 Points)
This activity addresses the use of the Wildlife Management Practices (WMP's)
necessary to improve an area for each of the wildlife species listed. Consider each species
separately. In other words, make management recommendations for deer as if you were
managing for deer only; then make management recommendations for each additional
species as if you were managing for that species only. Consider the habitat only in its
present condition rather than its potential in the future or how it might look years later.
Completing Activity I Scorecard: On-site Habitat Recommendations
To complete the scorecard, write in the names of the species that have been
chosen for management recommendations. The appropriate box for all WMP's that
would improve the area for each species listed on the scorecard should be marked with an
"X". The practices can be found in the Habitat Needs for Wildlife and Wildlife
Management Practices sections.
Assume that all of the species on the scorecard are present in the area, except for
aquatic animals (bass, bluegill, and wood duck) when ponds, lakes, or streams are absent.
Also, assume that this area is large enough to support all the species on the scorecard.
Cost or other land management objectives should not be considered.
Example:
The area is 300 acres of stage 6 hardwood woodland, and wild turkey is the
species being considered.
Reading the information in Habitat Needs for Wildlife section, you can determine
that WMPs 2, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 13, 14, 15, 16, and 17 are commonly used for
managing wild turkey. From these practices, select the appropriate ones that will
improve the given habitat for a wild turkey population.
WMP 2 should not be marked because there are no open spaces (stages 2, 3, and
4) in the woodland. Prescribed burning (WMP 4) is commonly practiced in stage 6
woodlands, so it should be marked. Since the woodland is all stage 6, we would not
choose WMP 5. We do not know the current wild turkey population, so we can't
decrease or increase the harvest (WMPs 8 and 9), but we do need to do a wildlife survey
(WMP 7). There is no agriculture, so WMP 6 will not be done. Livestock grazing on the
area is not known, so WMP 11 will not be marked. WMP 10 will not be marked because
there currently are no fields. Planting food plots (WMP 13) will be marked. WMP 14,
planting grass and forbs, will be marked because turkeys require these areas. WMPs16
and 17 will be marked because there are no openings and based on turkey habitat
requirements only one-third to two-thirds of the area in stages 5 and 6 are needed. There
are plenty of trees already, so WMP 15 will not be needed. With the given information
about the area, the only management practices marked would be 4, 7, 13, 14, 16, and 17.
33
8. Harvest Less
9. Harvest More
5. Disking
6. Grain and Hay Harvest
X
X
X
X
X
34
X
X
X
X
X
X
3. Brush Piles
4. Prescribed (Controlled) Burning
Red-eyed Vireo
Ovenbird
Mallard (winter)
Northern
Bobwhite
Mourning Dove
1. Artificial Feeders
Hummingbirds
Hairy Woodpecker
Eastern Bluebird
Brown Thrasher
Broad-winged
Hawk
American Robin
Wildlife
Management
Practices
American Kestrel
Butterflies
Largemouth Bass /
Bluegill
White-tailed Deer
Frogs
Raccoon
Gray Squirrel
Eastern Cottontail
Coyote
Bobcat
Wood Duck
Wild Turkey
Ruffed Grouse
Wildlife
Management
Practices
Red-tailed Hawk
Table 1. (Cont) Wildlife Management Practices (will be determined by current conditions of habitat)
1. Artificial Feeders
2. Brush Chopping (Mowing)
3. Brush Piles
4. Prescribed (Controlled) Burning
X
X
5. Disking
8. Harvest Less
9. Harvest More
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
35
Activity I
Scorecard
On-Site Habitat
Recommendations
30 Points
Contestant
County
JR
SR
Wildlife Species
1
Total Correct__________
SCORE
Total Incorrect__________
Activity II
(30 Points)
37
38
Aerial Photos
Aerial Photo #1
Aerial Photo #2
Aerial Photo #3
Aerial Photo #4
39
Activity II
Scorecard
Contestant
County
Habitat Evaluation of
Aerial Photos
30 Points
JR
SR
Wildlife Species
1
SCORE ____________
Activity III
(10 Points)
41
Copperhead
American Goldfinch
Hooded Merganser
Cottonmouth
American Robin
Mallard
Coral Snake
American Woodcock
Pied-billed Grebe
Blue Jay
Brown Thrasher
Carolina Chickadee
Ring-necked Duck
Wood Duck
Brown Pelican
Eastern Bluebird
Cattle Egret
Hognose Snake
Northern Cardinal
Ringneck Snake
Ovenbird
Mammals:
Red-eyed Vireo
Fox Squirrel
American Alligator
Ruby-throated Hummingbird
Gray Squirrel
Tufted Titmouse
Snapping Turtle
Hairy Woodpecker
Eastern Chipmunk
Yellowbelly Slider
Pileated Woodpecker
Groundhog
Green Anole
Red-bellied Woodpecker
Eastern Mole
Fence Lizard
Red-cockaded Woodpecker
Short-tailed Shrew
Five-lined Skink
Red-headed Woodpecker
Eastern Cottontail
American Toad
Mourning Dove
Raccoon
Bullfrog
Northern Bobwhite
Striped Skunk
Green Treefrog
Ruffed Grouse
Virginia Opossum
Fish:
Wild Turkey
Beaver
Largemouth Bass
Black Vulture
Mink
Smallmouth Bass
Turkey Vulture
Muskrat
Spotted Bass
American Kestrel
River Otter
Striped Bass
Bald Eagle
Long-tailed Weasel
Bluegill
Broad-winged Hawk
Gray Fox
Green Sunfish
Osprey
Red Fox
Shellcracker
Red-tailed Hawk
Bobcat
Black Crappie
Barn Owl
Coyote
White Crappie
Barred Owl
White-tailed deer
Brook Trout
Channel Catfish
Canada Goose
Timber Rattlesnake
42
Monarch Butterfly
Activity III
Scorecard
Common Wildlife Species
Identification
10 Points
Slide 1.
Slide 2.
Slide 3.
Slide 4.
Slide 5.
Slide 6.
Slide 7.
Slide 8.
Slide 9.
Slide 10.
Contestant ___________________________________________
County ____________________________
JR_____ SR_____
44
Activity IV
(30 Points)
To prepare for Activity IV, study Table 3, which lists some common foods eaten
by selected wildlife species. Table 2 lists only the foods commonly eaten by wildlife.
Under certain circumstances, most wildlife species will eat unusual things. Here are
some other important points to remember about the food preferences of wildlife species:
All wildlife species in a certain group do not eat all the foods listed for that group.
For example, not all turtles eat fruit and not all turtles eat crayfish.
A certain type of wildlife may not eat all species in a certain food group. For
example, deer do not eat tender twigs and leaves from all varieties of trees and
shrubs.
The following information about a few of the food categories listed in Table 2
will let you know what to expect when you see these foods during the program.
Aquatic plants may include specimens from the following genera: Sedges (Carex spp.), rushes
(Juncus spp. or Scirpus spp.), cattails (Typha spp.), watermilfoil (Myriophyllum spp.), coontail
(Ceratophyllum spp.), duckweed (Lemmna spp.), pondweed (Potomageton spp.), waterweed (Elodia
spp.), arrowleaf or duck potato (Sagittaria spp.), water primrose (Ludwegia spp.), and smartweed
(Polygynum spp.).
Carrion is stinking, rotten flesh and is not to be confused with the mammal or bird category. For
example, if a bird bone is present (hollow) then it represents the bird category, not carrion. If the item
has maggots (insect larvae) in it, consider it as carrion.
Eggs will be vertebrate eggs (mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians, and fish). Invertebrate eggs
(spiders, insects, etc.) will represent the category of the adult invertebrate.
Forbs can be shown with a flower part as part of the plant.
Fruit and berries will be soft, fleshy, pulp-covered seeds (soft mast).
Fungi are mushrooms.
Grains will be cereal grains, including wheat, oats, rye, barley, rice, and corn. Anything else will
be considered a miscellaneous seed (with the exception of fruit and nuts).
Lichens may be displayed on bark or alone.
Mammals may mean any mammal regardless of size. A photograph, live animal, museum mount
specimen, or any part thereof represents an animal in this category.
Nectar may be represented by flowers presented by themselves (no other plant parts) or honey
(processed nectar).
Nuts include hard mast (walnuts, hickory nuts, acorns, beechnuts, pecans, hazelnuts, almonds, etc).
Tubers may be peanut, chufa, and potato.
Bark
Birds
X
X
Carrion
X
X
Earthworms
X
X
Grain
Grass
X
X
X
X
X
X
Fungi
Lichens
Lizards
Mammals (small)
Forbs
Insects
Ferns
Eggs
Fish
Moles
Grouse
Frogs
Foxes
Ducks
X
X
Buds
Mink
Lizards
Hawks
Aquatic Plants
Doves
Deer
Butterflies
Bluegill
Bluebirds
Beaver
Bats
Wildlife
Foods
Bass
Mussels
X
Nectar
Nuts
X
X
Scorpions
X
Seeds
Snails
Snakes
Spiders
X
X
X
X
46
Tubers
Turtles
X
X
X
X
Bark
X
X
X
Wrens
X
X
X
X
Carrion
X
X
X
Earthworms
Eggs
Woodpeckers
Buds
Crayfish
Warblers
Aquatic Plants
Birds
Turtles
Turkeys
Trout
Thrashers
Squirrels
Sparrows
Snakes
Shrews
Salamanders
Rabbits
Quail
Owl
Wildlife
Foods
Otter
X
X
X
X
X
X
Ferns
Fish
Forbs
Frogs and Salamanders
X
X
Insects
X
X
X
X
X
X
Grass
Fungi
Grain
Lichens
X
Lizards
Mammals (small)
Mussels
X
X
Nectar
X
Nuts
Scorpions
X
Seeds
Spiders
X
X
Snails
Snakes
X
X
X
X
X
X
Tubers
X
Turtles
47
Contestant ___________________________________
Activity IV
Scorecard
JR _____ SR _____
County
Wildlife Foods
30 Points
Wildlife Species
Food Items
4
5
6
7
10
Bass
Bats
Beaver
Bluebirds
Bluegill
Butterflies
Deer
Doves
Ducks
Foxes
Frogs
Grouse
Hawks
Lizards
Mink
Moles
Otter
Owls
Quail
Rabbits
Salamanders
Shrews
Snakes
Sparrows
Squirrels
Thrashers
Trout
Turkeys
Turtles
Warblers
Woodpeckers
Wrens
Number Incorrect
Number Correct
Score = [(total correct - total incorrect) / 320] X 30
Total Correct __________
Total Incorrect __________
Contest Rules
I. Contestants and Eligibility
A. Each county is allowed to enter junior and senior teams, or individual contestants
if there are not enough youth in an age group to form a team. A team will consist
of no less than three and no more than four official entrants who are 4-H members
in their county during the current year. If a county is unable to muster a team, it
may send up to two contestants to compete in the individual events.
B. The county senior team that scores the most total points wins the state
competition and may go to the National 4-H Wildlife Invitational. A team's total
score will be the sum of the three highest individual scores for each event.
Individuals may enter the National 4-H Wildlife Evaluation Invitational event
only once.
C. Contestants in the national 4-H Wildlife Invitational must not have participated in
official post-secondary (university, college, junior college, or technical school)
competitive events of a similar nature in the same subject matter. No individual in
a team may be a member of a post-secondary team undergoing training in
preparation for an event. (For example, a contestant who has competed in an
official collegiate wildlife contest, on or off campus, is ineligible to compete.)
The State 4-H Program Leaders are responsible for determining the eligibility of
participants in National 4-H Competitive Events from their respective states.
Activity I
The score for this activity is based on the formula [(C-I/T] x 30, where: C = the
number of correct answers on the contestant's scorecard (T-I); I = the number of incorrect
answers on the contestant's scorecard; and T = the total number of blocks on the official
scorecard. If a contestant marks a block that is not supposed to be marked, it is counted
as an incorrect answer. Likewise, it a contestant does not mark a block that is supposed
to be marked, it is counted as an incorrect answer. For example, the points scored by a
contestant who had 208 answers correct and 40 incorrect out of 248 possible correct
answers would be [(208-40)/248] x 30 = 20.32.
Activity II
The Hormel computing slide is used to score this activity. The judge will
determine the official placing for each of the nine species, then establish by number the
margin of difference between each of the three pairs of photographs. These numbers
represent the penalties for switching the top, middle, and bottom pairs. A contestant
makes six decisions when he ranks four aerial photographs. The Hormel slide penalizes a
50
contestant the amount of the margin between the two photographs involved for each
incorrect decision. Once a total score for Activity II is computed with the Hormel slide,
this score is adjusted to a scale of 0 to 30 points, since a perfect score for Activity II is 30.
Activity III
Activity III will consist of a maximum of ten points. One point will be allocated
for each correct answer. Guessing is not penalized.
Activity IV
Activity IV is calculated the same way as Activity I.
Team Score
The team score will be calculated by adding Activities I, II, III, and IV for each
contestant and dropping the low individual score for each event (if there are four
members on the team). The three remaining scores are added together to create the total
team score for that event. The maximum team score is 300 points.
51
Appendix
Photo Credits:
Wild Turkey (6), Scotty Lovett, National Wild Turkey Federation; American Kestrel
(13), David Menke, USFWS, National Image Library; Eastern Bluebird (14), Dr. Chris
Moorman, NCSU Extension Forestry; Red-tailed Hawk (17), Dr. Chris Moorman, NCSU
Extension Forestry; Wild Turkey Nest (18), Dr. Chris Moorman, NCSU Extension
Forestry; Bobcat (19), Renee Strnad, NCSU Extension Forestry; Eastern Tiger
Swallowtail (21), Brian Kenney; Bluegill (22), James Parnell; Prescribed fire in
southeastern pine stand (24), Dr. Chris Moorman, NCSU Extension Forestry; Tractor
with Disk Implement (25), Dr. Greg Clary, Texas A&M University; Grazing Cattle (26),
www.freefoto.com; Opening created by clear-cut harvest in stages 2 and 3 of plant
succession (28), Dr. Chris Moorman, NCSU Extension Forestry; Openings created by
selection harvest (28), Dr Chris Moorman, NCSU Extension Forestry; Pond Repair (30),
Travis Critzer, Unlimited Excavating, Scottsdale, VA.
52