Released July 30, 2007

Many Americans go hunting, fishing or boating. Some enjoy just watching wild animals and being outdoors. All of those activities involve the nation’s wildlife resources. Protecting these vital resources, however, can be complex.

Extension wildlife specialists want to minimize the human/wildlife conflict and are working through 4-H and other partner organizations to tap a vital resource -- America’s youth. Youth need to first understand wildlife and their natural habitats so they learn appropriate responses when wildlife and human domains intersect. Some 4-H and Extension programs reaching youth today include 4-H camps and wilderness trips, NatureMapping, conservation leadership and school enrichment.

4-H summer camps help kids learn about wildlife habitat through nature hikes, creek walks, canoeing, backpacking, fishing and hunter safety courses. 4-H wilderness trips provide a more intense experience for youth who canoe and backpack into wilderness areas to study the ecology and also read maps, cook their own food and set up their own shelter.

Jim Pease, wildlife specialist with Iowa State University Extension, said, “Young people must have positive, first-hand experiences in wild areas in order to value those areas in the future. To have voters in the future who will value and properly manage wild areas, we must start when they are young.”

National 4-H offers environment exploration manuals on hiking, camping and backpacking through its Cooperative Curriculum System. Manuals and online learning activities are at http://www.4hccsprojects.com/outdoor/.

Young people also assist in efforts to inventory the nation’s flora and fauna. Called NatureMapping, the project helps wildlife professionals collect data to help establish management plans for each state’s wildlife. In Washington, the goal is to keep common animals common and maintain the quality of life. (See http://depts.washington.edu/natmap/) The site also includes a map with links to nine states that have NatureMapping projects.

In Iowa, the plan calls for identifying 999 different species. Currently, Iowa NatureMapping is helping the Iowa Department of Natural Resources (DNR) keep track of birds, mammals, reptiles and amphibians, and has collected tens of thousands of observations representing more than 350 species.

“Using trained NatureMapping citizen volunteers will go far in closing the information gap and allow us to make more informed wildlife management decisions,” says Doug Harr, Iowa DNR Wildlife Diversity program coordinator. Youth can record wildlife observations around their homes and feeders, when hiking, canoeing or doing other wildlife-related activities, Pease adds. Participation varies depending on the size and scope of the projects chosen. (See http://www.extension.iastate.edu/naturemapping.)

Other 4-H programs allow youth to make a direct impact on governmental policy. In Michigan, a 4-H Youth Conservation Council (M4-HYCC) helps teens ages 13 to 19 make a difference in state and local government. The program, created by the Michigan Senate in 1999, is coordinated by Michigan State University Extension 4-H Youth Development. Each year M4-HYCC members select and research a current environmental issue, then testify about their research before a Michigan legislative committee. M4-HYCVC recommendations helped to pass a heritage water trail program bill and brought about the introduction of another bill on training for proper marine fueling techniques.

Hundreds of school programs across the country impact wildlife habitat, community awareness and youth development. In Oregon, the 4-H Wildlife Stewards Program targets youth in grades K-12. Volunteers, students and teachers work to create, use and sustain wildlife habitats on school grounds for science learning. The highly visible program transforms barren or open areas into wildlife habitat that has brought attention from the community, the media and legislators, while it builds excitement and understanding in the children. (See http://wildlifestewards.4h.oregonstate.edu/ )

In Vermont, Pamela Ainsworth, a 4-H natural resources specialist with University of Vermont Extension in White River Junction, developed Farms, Fields and Futures to strengthen the bonds seventh graders had with school and community. Her program was piloted by Oxbow High School in Bradford, Vermont in 2002.

Students come to Oxbow, which has a student population of 475, from five smaller middle schools. Feeling lost in the crowd, nearly one in ten students dropped out before they graduated high school. In the project, seventh graders enjoyed working in a natural environment as they built a community-hiking trail on a local mountain. They designed the trail, cleared brush, cut trees and built water bars. The project helps the students understand wildlife habitat as well as helps them to feel accomplished and strong. The dropout rate fell significantly. (See http://www.uvm.edu/extension/impact/impactsummer04.pdf)

Extension educators take an important first step in increasing awareness--teaching youth about wildlife and their natural habitats -- so youth become informed citizens who can manage human/wildlife conflicts.

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Written for eXtension, which is an educational partnership of more than 70 land grant universities helping Americans improve their lives with access to timely, objective, research-based information and educational opportunities. eXtension’s interactive Web resource, http://www.extension.org, is customized with links to local Cooperative Extension Web sites. Land-grant universities were founded on the ideals that higher education should be accessible to all, that the university should teach liberal and practical subjects, and share the university’s knowledge with people throughout their states.

Contacts: Jim Pease, (515) 294-7429, jlpease@iastate.edu

Carol Ouverson, (515) 294-9640, couverso@iastate.edu