 WHEP started out as as "Wildlife Judging," a state-wide program in Tennessee created by Jim Byford and Tom Hill from the Tennessee Agriculture Extension Service in 1978. The program soon grew to include other southeastern states. The first regional contest was held in Mississippi in 1987.
In 1989, "Wildlife Judging" went nationwide. The national event was held in West Virginia with the support of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the International Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies.
The program was officially named WHEP in 1990, and the national contest was moved to different regions each year, exposing participants to wildlife habitats and practices unique to those regions. National contest sites have included the North Carolina Atlantic coast, the Prairie Pothole regions in North Dakota, the Texas Hill Country and the Idaho Rocky Mountains.
In 1996, WHEP won The Wildlife Society's Conservation Education Award. It's reputation as a quality wildlife and fisheries educational experience for youth and adults attracted the attention of several additional national sponsors including International Paper (Formerly Champion International Corporation). WHEP also earned a solid reputation for being a 4-H program that fostered relationships between professional wildlife and fisheries biologists, volunteers, parents, youth, teachers, farmers and ranchers, as well as one that taught essential life skills such as oral and written communication and decision-making. WHEP helped youth strengthen their self-concept and character through interaction with other young people from their own state and different parts of the country.
Participation in WHEP grew from 5 states in 1989 to 26 states in 1997. About 10,000 4-H'ers nationwide participate in WHEP now, and the number continues to increase. |
