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State Wildlife Contest Challenges Over 200 Youth In Wildlife Management and Conservation Principles

TEMPLE - Out of more than 200 FFA and 4-H youth from all geographic regions in Texas, Mae Knaggs, a student at Ingram Tom Moore High School and a member of the Ingram FFA chapter was high point individual in the FFA division at the State Wildlife and Recreation Management Career Development Event (WRMCDE). Jake Quinn of the Harris County 4-H chapter was named high point individual in the 4-H division.

The event, sponsored by the Wildlife Alliance for Youth, was held April 26, 2016, at the Richards Ranch located near Jacksboro.

The top scoring FFA chapter in the event was the Ingram chapter. The team earned a collective score of 412 points. The Harris County 4-H chapter which earned a collective team score of 399 points was the high point team in its division.

"The state event brings together FFA and 4-H students and teams who have earned top honors in their respective state regions of which there are five geographic regions in Texas as it relates to this program," said Joe Ray Burkett, chairman of the Wildlife Alliance for Youth.

Top ten high point individuals in the FFA division in their respective order were:

Rank Student Division Chapter Score
1 Mae Knaggs FFA Ingram 143
2 Ben Shupak FFA Bellville 138
3 Mason Hair FFA Tomball 138
4 Jordan Ulanday FFA Ingram 136
5 Greg Grote FFA Johnson City 136
6 John Callan FFA Jacksboro 135
7 Gabe Janish FFA Bellville 135
8 Darren Sultemeier FFA Johnson City 134
9 Hunter Nebgen FFA Ingram 133
10 Samuel Cannon FFA Stephenville 133

Top ten high point individuals in the 4-H division in their respective order were:

Rank Student Division Chapter Score
1 Jake Quinn 4-H Harris County 142
2 Shaelyn Rainey 4-H Erath County 136
3 Hannah Carroll 4-H Harris County 134
4 Austin Hanath 4-H Austin County 133
5 Canute Janish 4-H Austin County 132
6 Brooks Barnett 4-H McLennan County 128
7 Brad Cogburn 4-H Floyd County 124
8 Chloe Schindewolf 4-H Harris County 123
9 Jacob Cox 4-H Kerr County 123
10 Dalton Kasper 4-H Austin County 121

Top ten teams in the FFA division in their respective order were:

Rank Team Division Score
1 Ingram FFA 412
2 Bellville FFA 405
3 Johnson City FFA 398
4 Stephenville FFA 397
5 Tomball FFA 391
6 Jacksboro FFA 379
7 Pearland FFA 375
8 Weatherford FFA 372
9 Canyon-New Braunfels FFA 368
10 Waco Midway FFA 358

Top ten teams in the 4-H division in their respective order were:

Rank Team Division Score
1 Harris County 4-H 399
2 Austin County 4-H 386
3 Erath County 4-H 372
4 Kerr County 4-H 359
5 Guadalupe County 4-H 320
6 McLennan County 4-H 295
7 Trinity County 4-H 204
8 Cottle County 4-H 196
9 Roberts County 4-H 155
10 Floyd County 4-H 124

Where an FFA or 4-H contestant or team is ranked in descending order, but where it is shown that the contestant or team have identical scores, the tie is broken and a rank is assigned to an individual or team by determining an individual or team’s score according to which has the highest earned point value at stations one or eight in the contest.

The top five teams from each of the 10 FFA areas in Texas as well as the top two 4-H teams from each of the five state regions participated in the state contest.

According to Clyde Gottschalk, Program Specialist for the Texas State Soil and Water Conservation Board, "The annual event is sponsored by the Wildlife Alliance for Youth which is a group of state, federal, and private organizations working together to provide support and technical assistance to agricultural science teachers and 4-H leaders who train youth in various aspects of wildlife conservation and habitat management."

"Specifically, the Wildlife and Recreation Management Career Development Event challenges students in the areas of plant identification, wildlife plant food preferences, wildlife biological facts, wildlife habitat evaluation, habitat management, fish and game laws, safety in the outdoors, and wildlife identification techniques. The event is directly correlated to the AgSc 381 Wildlife and Recreation Management curriculum and is also supported by curriculum related to AgSc 382 Range Management and Ecology," added Burkett.

The Texas State Soil and Water Conservation Board is the managing partner of the Wildlife Alliance for Youth. Other members of the Wildlife Alliance for Youth include the Association of Texas Soil and Water Conservation Districts, local soil and water conservation districts, the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service, Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service, Welder Wildlife Foundation, Instructional Materials Service at Texas A&M University, and the Texas FFA Association.

Results may also be found on JudgingCard.com.

"Protecting and Enhancing Natural Resources since 1939."

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