Callahan County kids know their wildlife

Last spring, a team of 4-H’ers from Callahan County competed in a Wildlife Habitat Education Program event in Port Lavaca. It was their first time, and they came in second place.

Which left them with a sour taste in their mouth. They vowed to return this year with the intent of winning, if not dominating.

Boy, did they ever!

The three team members – Katie Saunders and Taryn Hudspeth, both sophomores at Clyde High School, and Blane Pack, a junior at Eula High School – not only won, they finished with the three highest individual scores at the event, held at Port O’Connor, with Saunders leading the way.

“They were good presenters,” Callahan County AgriLife Extension agent Karl Winge said. “Last year we were inexperienced. This year we knew exactly what we needed to do and how to write it up.

“This has been a culmination of over four years of hard work and competing in various wildlife contest to accomplish their goals.”

Their journey isn’t over just yet, though. They will head to London, Kentucky, July 31-Aug. 3 to put their skills up against teams from around the nation.

The contest consists of four parts: 

► Wildlife ID and knowledge, where they are tested on identification of wildlife species, habitat management practices, habitat components and food groups; 

► Onsite recommendation of wildlife management practices, where they recommend management practices to attract or remove selected wildlife species; 

► Putting together and writing up a plan to accomplish those goals; and 

► A final oral presentation before a panel of judges.

Along with the pride of victory, they get to keep the Bryon D. Wright Traveling Trophy. The trophy was displayed at Eula High School last week and is at Clyde High School this week. It will then be at its “permanent” home at the Callahan County courthouse until spring 2023.

Since the team qualified for the national event, they are ineligible to compete in 2023 as a team; however, they can still compete as individuals.

A hearty congratulations to these three “all right” kids.

Upcoming events

• New Leader Learning Path for adult Girl Scout leaders, 6:30 p.m. Monday (virtual event). Registration deadline has passed.
• Outdoor 101 training for Girl Scout adult leaders, 6:30 p.m. Tuesday (online event). A prerequisite for all outdoor training classes. $30 per participant; registration deadline has passed, but check at gs-top.org under “Events” calendar for availability.

Deadlines

• Monday for Girl Scout Gold Award recognition ceremonies, 10:30 a.m. June 4, State Capitol, Austin. No cost to register; check with your local council for procedures. Appropriate adult leadership required on-site.

Check online

There are many events (a lot of them virtual) you can join. Keep up at gs-top.org or gsctx.org for Girl Scouts; and at texastrailsbsa.com for Cub Scouts/Scouts BSA.

Closings/cancellations

• Girl Scout facilities in Central Texas Council, including Brownwood office, available by appointment only. Masks required unless otherwise specified.www.gsctx.org or 800-733-0011.

Contact Carl Kieke at 325-673-3552 (voice only); or kiekec@suddenlink.net. Deadline is Monday for publication the following Monday.