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Requirements June 1972 until September 1987

1. Describe the history of fish and wildlife conservation in America.  Tell the development of the profession of fisheries management and wildlife management.  Define fish and wildlife management.  Give examples and dates of main legislation in this history.  Explain why past fish and wildlife management has been concerned mainly with game animals.

2. Describe five different relationships between man and fish and wildlife.  Use both good and bad examples.

3. Describe the four methods used in fish and wildlife management to maintain or increase numbers.  Give an example of each for your state.

4. Name three local plants useful as wildlife food.  Name three others useful as cover for wildlife.

5. Tell which agencies are responsible for fish and wildlife management in your state.  Tell the difference between their authorities and responsibilities.  Describe opportunities for a career in one of these.  Explain how hunting, fishing, and trapping laws are set in your state.

6. Do ONE:

(a) Pick two 5-acre plots of different wildlife habitats.  Get help from your counselor in this.  Describe in writing the vegetation.  List the wildlife and their numbers seen in two 3-hour visitation to each plot.  Explain the differences you saw.  Suggest ways changes could be made to help the wildlife.  Tell what would happen if the numbers of one kind of animal doubled or tripled.

(b) Visit a wildlife refuge or management area or managed fishing waters.  Interview the resident manager.  Write at least 500 words on what is being done to improve the area for fish and wildlife.

(c) Visit a game farm or fish hatchery.  Interview the resident manager.  Write a report of at least 500 words on the place of game farm birds or hatchery fish in conservation.

(d) Go out 2 days with a commercial fisherman.  Describe his catch.  Tell methods used.  Write about the importance of such fish to the world's economy and health.

(e) Work with your counselor on the following study.  Study for 6 weeks the kinds of wildlife within several blocks of your home.  List those good for your neighborhood.  Also list those that are bad.  Explain why you have put each on your lists.  Suggest plans for increasing the good wildlife in your neighborhood.  Tell what groups might help to do this.

(f) Attend a camp for a week or more where conservation is a major part of the program.  Write about how you will use the things learned.

7. Do ONE of the following:

(a) Plan and carry out a project that will improve a water or land area for fish or wildlife.  Work with your counselor or a fish and wildlife manager.

(b) Organize and run a neighborhood campaign to clean up places that harbor rats or other harmful wildlife.

Requirements September 1987 until January 2005

1. Describe the meaning and purposes of fish and wildlife conservation and management.

2. List and discuss at least three major problems that continue to threaten your state's fish and wildlife resources.

3. Describe some practical ways in which everyone can help with the fish and wildlife conservation effort.

4. List and describe five major fish and wildlife management practices used by managers in your state.

5. Do ONE of the following:

(a) Construct, erect, and check regularly at least two artificial nest boxes (wood duck, bluebird, squirrel, etc.) and keep written records for one nesting season.
(b) Construct, erect, and check regularly bird feeders and keep written records of the kinds of birds visiting the feeders in the wintertime.
(c) Design and implement a backyard wildlife habitat improvement project and report the results.
(d) Design and construct a wildlife blind near a game trail, waterhole, salt lick, bird feeder, or birdbath and take good photographs or make sketches from the blind of any combination of 10 wild birds, mammals, reptiles, or amphibians.

6. Do ONE of the following:

(a) Observe and record 25 species of wildlife.  Your list may include mammals, birds, reptiles, or fish.  Write down when and where each animal was seen.
(b) List the wildlife species in your state that are classified as endangered, threatened, exotic, game species, furbearers, or migratory game birds.
(c) Start a scrapbook or North American wildlife.  Insert markers to divide the book into separate parts for mammals, birds, reptiles, and fish.  Collect articles on such subjects as life histories, habitat, behavior, and feeding habits on all of the four categories and place them in your notebook accordingly.  Articles and pictures may be cut from old discarded newspapers; science, nature, and outdoor magazines; or can be photocopied from other sources.  Enter at least 10 articles on mammals, 10 on birds, 5 on reptiles, and 5 on fish.  Put each animal on a separate sheet in alphabetical order.  Include pictures whenever possible.

7. Do ONE of the following:

(a) Determine the age of five species of fish from scale samples or identify various age classes of one species in a lake and report the results.
(b) Conduct a creel census on a small lake to estimate catch per unit effort.
(c) Examine the stomach contents of three species of fish and record the findings.
(d) Make a freshwater aquarium.  Include at least four species of native plants and four species of animal life, such a whirligig beetles, freshwater shrimp, tadpoles, water snails, and golden shiners.  After 60 days of observation, discuss with your counselor the life cycles, food chains, and management needs you have recognized.