Vol. 22, No. 1 Kansas Wildlife, Parks & Tourism Fall, 2012

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What Is An ECO-Meet 2

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Kansas ECO-Meets

Scavenger Hunt Tips and Tricks

So You Want To Have An ECO-Meet Team

Preparing For ECO-Meet: Tips For Teachers

How To Prepare For Table Tests

Why An Interpretive Event?

How To Keep Your Team Active Year Around

ECO-Meet Primer

Black FootedFerret

Reintroductionin Kansas

On T.R.A.C.K.S. 2

What is an ECO-Meet?The mission of ECO-Meet is to challenge and

inspire an interest, appreciation and understand -ing of the natural sciences and the Kansas environment through interscholastic competition.

An ECO-Meet is a one day envi-ronmental competition geared forstudents from grades 8-12. RegionalECO-Meets currently take place in9 facilities across the state.Following the regional competitionsis the state competition whichinvites the top three teams of eachregional to a “best of the best” showdown. Teamsconsist of three to four individuals and the compe-tition is divided into four areas: wildlife knowledge(two events), scavenger hunt, and interpretation.Questions for these events are based only onKansas flora and fauna

The wildlife knowledge tests are identifyingactivities set up similar to a college lab final. Avariety of bones, furs, mounts, footprints, scat, liveanimals, and models are placed on tables withquestions accompanying each specimen. All ques-tions are multiple choice and there are 100 ques-tions, worth one point each, on each test.

Every two years, the topics covered by the testschange. One test is an ecosystem test and the othertest is a “ focus” test. The ecosystems coveredrange from shortgrass prairies to woodlands or tall-grass prairies to aquatic environments.

The focus test emphasizes a specific groupsuch as mammals, birds, reptiles and amphibians,or invertebrates. Questions relating to the focus testare not used on the ecosystem test, i.e. if birds arethe focus test, questions about birds from the focus

test will not be found on the ecosystem test.Recognizing that the focus test can cover a numberof species (ie there are over 400 birds species inKansas), the study lists for each have been dividedand split by years to make them more manageable.

In some cases the lists are halved orcut into thirds or fourths.

Each team member takes the testand a team score is given by averagingthe members’ scores. The lowest scoreis dropped from a four-person team.Individual awards are given to the firstand second highest scores in the

wildlife knowledge tests and these individualsqualify for the state competition even if their teamdoes not.

The most popular of the events is the scavengerhunt, even though it is probably the most difficult.Teams are given a list of items to collect on a near-by natural area or nature trail with a time limit of30 minutes. Most of the items are plants or parts ofplants and points are given for each item correctlyidentified. One hundred points are possible.

The fourth event is the interpretive event.Teamsare required to give a five-minute oral presentation

and are judged ontheir technique andcontent. The setting ischosen by the stu-dents but they mustdevelop a skit tointeract as native ani-mals and give infor-mation about theirlife histories (ie. howbig, what they eat,

description, etc). Costumes and props are encour-aged and this event is worth 100 points.

On T.R.A.C.K.S. 3

Kansas ECO-Meet ProgramKansas ECO-Meets are based on a program

developed in 1976 by the Pittsburgh, PA District ofthe U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. The originalECO-Meet was developed for students from grades1-12. The program was created to “stimulate agreater awareness of the environment” in studentsas well as aquaint area schools with the environ-mental resources available at Corps’ lakes. Theone-day competition consisted of several individualenvironmental events.

The Kansas version of an ECO-meet resultedfrom the cooperation of a Milford Lake Corp ofEngineer Park Ranger and the Director of theMilford Nature Center getting together and dis-cussing ways to increase visitation to each facility,especially among the high school age group. Thesestudents are not traditionally users of nature centersor Corp Lakes so reviving this 1970’s era competi-tion seemed a win-win situation.

The first Kansas ECO-Meet was held at MilfordLake near Junction City in October of 1991.Joining in the effort was another Corps ParkRanger from Tuttle Creek Lake and the Geary Co.Extension Agent. Participants were drawn from aneight-county area in north-central Kansas andseven teams competed the first year.

By 1994, scholarships were added to provideincentive to students and these have continued to

this day. The scholarship fund was set up throughthe non-profit Kansas Wildscape Foundation andfunds are held in trust until the student graduatesfrom high school.

In 1999, two additional ECO-Meets wereadded. Wilson Lake and the Great Plains NatureCenter came on board and consequently, the firststatewide playoff among regional winners was alsooffered. Currently, there are nine regional ECO-Meets and one State ECO-meet offered each year.Organizers of each ECO-Meet meet regularly todiscuss the program and make improvements. Eachregional ECO-meet exercises some autonomy indeciding how to handle the schedule and registra-tion, whether to offer lunch, whether to have t-shirts and scholarships, and what is on the scav-enger hunt. Generally, however, the table tests andinterpretive events follow standardized rules and,in fact, each test is the same at each regional.Scoring is also uniform.

Schools are free to attend any regional that bestfits their schedule, however, they may only attendone regional. The top three teams from a regionalare invited to state. Regional coordinators cometogether to man and host the statewide competitionin early November. Larger scholarships are offeredto the winners of the state competition.

2012 RegionalECO-Meets

HaysWilson

MilfordLawrence

Olathe

GirardWichita

Hutchinson

Salina

STATE

On T.R.A.C.K.S. 4

So You Want to Have An ECO-Meet Team?by Mike Rader, Wildlife Education Coordinator, KDWPT

The Kansas ECO-Meet program is meant tochallenge and inspire Kansas students in the appre-ciation and understanding of the natural sciencesand the Kansas environment through interscholas-tic competition. What does that mean to you as apotential coach or participating student?

As a potential coach, you need to see if youhave students that have an interest in the Kansasout-of-doors. They don’t have to be expertsalready, but they can’t be scared or hesitant to gooutside and learn about what Kansas has to offer.The students that excel in ECO-Meet are not nec-essarily the smartest kids inschool, but they must have awillingness to learn. We certainlyunderstand that teachers are busyand don’t always have a lot oftime to devote in the classroomto teach wildlife & plant identifi-cation, life history of the speciesoccurring in the state, etc. butwith the proper resources and students that showsome aptitude in outdoor activities, they can doreally well in competition.

You as a coach/teacher, do not need to be anexpert either. Check with your school librarian tosee if any of the reference books we list are avail-able. Many science teachers might already havesome of the listed references in their own rooms orin personal collections. If you find the books arenot available to you or your students, contact oneof the Kansas ECO-Meet regional coordinators orone of the committee members. If your school doesnot have the means to acquire some of these mate-rials, there is help available from other sources,such as the Wildlife Education Section of the Dept.of Wildlife, Parks & Tourism. Good ECO-Meetcoaches don’t have to spend a tremendous amountof time teaching if the kids show an interest andcan work with each other as team members tostudy on the topics subject to be tested on in a par-ticular year. Coaches need to be able to help withdifficult questions students may have or at leastpoint them in the right direction to find answers. Italso helps to be able to lead them on field trips,

especially dealing with plant identification. Thereare also local resource people (biologists, NRCSfolks, state extension agents, etc.) that can also becalled upon to help you and your kids prepare forcompetitions.

Obviously, if you are planning on starting ateam(s) to participate in ECO-Meet, you need tosecure the blessing of your school administration.The web site for Kansas ECO-Meet has an infor-mation section where it shows the correlation tocurrent science standards, so the relevance to whatis being learned is there. Kids have a good attitude

about the events within thecompetition, even thoughthey usually complainabout the difficulty of thetests, being insecure orscared to do the Interpretiveevent, etc. After years ofconducting evaluations, westill find kids really do have

fun and also learn something about the nativeplants and animals of our state.

Once you have the administration of yourschool on your side, have a great group of studentsselected to be on your team(s), and collected thereference materials you will need, there are stillsome things to consider. One of the most importantplaces that both coaches and participating studentsneed to remember to go to is the web site:www.kansasecomeet.org This site has the historyof the program, locations and contact informationfor regional competitions, rules of each of theevents within the competition, study lists of rele-vant species for the current year events, referencematerial listings, information on the State Finalsevent, and much more. You need to be familiarwith the information posted on the site. A map ofthe state is included, showing where regionalevents are held. Typically schools will go to theclosest meet to their location, but there is someflexibility in that as we realize some dates are bet-ter than others for a particular school. If yourschool cannot attend a meet on a particular day,contact the regional coordinator of one that will

The students that excel inECO-Meet are not necessarilythe smartest kids in school, butthey must have a willingness tolearn and an interest in theKansas out-of-doors.

On T.R.A.C.K.S. 5

usually 28-30 and meets usually are not held for lessthan 5 teams. Some coaches have local “playoffs”within their school to see which students are bestteamed together or would compete at the highestlevel at a meet. There is really no one “right” way,but coaches that have teams well-prepared have asystem that works for them and how they get teamsready.

The Kansas ECO-Meet program is in place tohelp us reach students that are interested in whatKansas has in the outdoors. It is meant to help piqueinterest in native plants and animals and provide away for students to excel. By offering scholarshipsand local recognition, we hope they can learn, possi-bly offset some financial obligations at college andhave fun along the way. If you or your studentshave any questions, please contact any of theregional coordinators or members of the KansasECO-Meet committee.

work and see if your students can attend it.Remember that schools can attend only one regionalevent in a season, with the top three teams fromeach regional qualifying for the State Finals compe-tition.

Students interested in participating in ECO-Meet need to be aware of all the information listedpreviously for potential coaches. In some cases, aschool might have students interested in participa-tion in ECO-Meet competition, but do not have ateacher/coach that is willing or have the time to helpthem prepare or to attend a meet with them. In thoseinstances, if there is a parent or other interested adultthat is willing to help, that is allowed. Many times,we have parents that accompany teams on the day ofan event, especially if the school has difficulty get-ting a substitute or having transportation issues ingetting teams to a meet.

As a student preparing for participation in thecompetition, be extremely familiar with what speciesare to be tested on by reviewing and studying thelists provided on the web site. In preparation for theScavenger Hunt event, you will also need to be veryfamiliar with the plant species in the area of wherethe event is to be held, realizing that many of theplants are the same as what you might have aroundyour home, town or rural area. Preparation for theInterpretive event is always a challenge too, withsome students fairly comfortable speaking in frontof a group of people, some not so much. Enlist thehelp of a drama coach, speech teacher, debate &forensics coach, etc. to help you become more com-fortable with good techniques of public speaking. Itis extremely important to be comfortable with thesubject you are talking about as well, especiallysince the judges for the event have some workingknowledge of species you are depicting in your pres-entation. Good preparation in advance and practicehelp to offset some of the potential embarrassmentthat can occur in an ill-prepared presentation.Usually “winging it” is a bad idea.

Some schools will take an entire class to a com-petition, while others take only a select group. Mostregional competitions have a mix of both and itworks pretty well. Each regional meet coordinatorhas the flexibility to set the total number of teamsallowed from each school and the total number ofteams they can handle in a day. The maximum is

On T.R.A.C.K.S. 6

Unless you plan to live and work on a desertedisland, thereby interacting with no humans whatsoever, you will probably find yourself in anoccupation that will require you to speak and inter-act with people. You may have to be persuasive inyour career or be a fount of knowledge. You may have to speak in public and/or in front of their peersas part of your job.

While this event may be “scary” (speaking infront of your peers), it should not be a surprise toany on your team. As a team, you should haveplanned, prepared, and practiced your presentationso many times you are comfortable and confident inpresenting the information to the judges and audi-ence members (other schools/teams).

How do we get started? Gather your team together and brainstorm! Be

creative. Throw out ideas, the crazier the better inthe beginning. Current events that have a tie tonature in Kansas are always great: zebra musselsspreading to western lakes; re-introduction of black-footed ferrets in Logan County (controversial andcurrent); sightings of mountain lions; or wind tur-bines. Be creative and unique!

You may choose Kansas plants and animals thatare considered non-native, such as zebra mussels or diamondback rattlesnakes, but you mustrefer to these introduced, exotic or alienspecies in the correct context (e.g., the diamondbackrattlesnake population at Kanopolis Lake, or the presence of zebra mussels in various Kansaslakes).

Once you have your characters and storyline,consider using humor to develop your characters.Consider incorporating animal traits such as motionsa fish might use, the buzzing sound a bee wouldmake, preening motions of a bird, regurgitation ormusk spray as a defense mechanism if it is true toyour animal’s behavior. Don’t forget that if you are aplant, you will have some characteristics as well.

What do we do during the Interpretive event?Each team member will select a Kansas plant or

animal to portray during the team’s 5-minute presentation. Human beings may not be one of theselections. During the presentation, each team member must fully participate and interact with theother members. At some point in the presentation, each plant/or animal must impart to theaudience the following information about themselves:

1. What do you eat or how do you obtain our nourishment?

2. Where do you live or what habitat needs do you require?

3. How do you reproduce? 4. Do you have any special adaptations or

characteristics? 5. What is your physical appearance?

The 5-minute presentation should have some type ofstoryline with a beginning, a plot or “story,” and aconclusion.

How is this event judged? Each heading is worth 5 points for a total of 25

points. There will be 4 judges each awarding 25points for a possible total team score of 100 points.

TimeOne point is given for each minute used. A two-

minute presentation would receive 2 points; a five-minute presentation would receive all 5 points.Presentations running on or near the ? minute markwill be, at the judges’ discretion, awarded the nexthighest point or the previous whole point. This deci-sion will be based on the overall presentation andgood usage of time in developing the other criteria.No ? points will be given.

Teams going over the 5 minute time period maybe stopped, however, your team will receive a scoreof A5" for Time. Because you did not concludeyour presentation in the allotted 5 minutes, you may

Why An Interpretive Event? by Lorrie Beck, USFWS, Great Plains Nature Center

•Did you teach them something? •Did you have fun giving the information and did

you enjoy your audience’s reaction to your presenta-tion?

•Did you use something to grab the attention ofyour audience?

Simple props, make-up, costuming, or otheritems are encouraged to enhance your plant or ani-mal characters. Costumes also allow the judges toknow which animal or plant you are portraying atany time during the presentation. Without costumes,it is often difficult for judges to mentally remember:“OK - Jane was a beaver and Jim was a skunk –now, which student is Jane and who is Jim?”Costumes, make-up, and props assist in preventingconfusion to audience members, and it also addsinterest and “pop” to the entire presentation.

•Did your presentation have pizzazz?

General Interpretive Techniques·Did you make eye contact with your audience? ·Could they clearly hear what you were saying

on the back row? ·Were you relaxed and giving the impression that

you were enjoying what you were doing? ·Did your presentation connect with your audi-

ence or was your “story” outside of their realm ofexperience and knowledge?

One thing to keep in mind when being creative:the judges must understand the context that is beingreferenced. Keep in mind the judges may not be up-to-date on the most current television shows norhave seen the recent “tween” movie. Therefore, ref-erences to these current shows or movies may have

On T.R.A.C.K.S. 7

have failed to provide all the information requiredfor each species or provide a solid conclusion.Judges may deduct points in other categories (e.g.,Reached conclusion; Accuracy/Content) due to lackof information presented.

Format•How well did you set up and develop your

storyline? •Was there an introduction, a story, and a

conclusion? •Did you develop your plant and animal

characters, integrate them well into the story, andinteract with each other?

Accuracy and Content•Did you research your plant or animal carefully

and present only factual information? •Species portrayed must be presented true to

their status in Kansas. Species that are extirpated inKansas (i.e., not documented to currently exist in thewild in Kansas but were here at the time ofEuropean settlement; such as, but not limited to,gray wolf, grizzly bear, black-footed ferret, moun-tain lion, moose, and American bison), species thatare extinct (such as the Carolina Parakeet) and intro-duced species (such as wild boar) must not be pre-sented as normally abundant inhabitants. If the resi-dent status of a species is not presented appropriate-ly, points will be subtracted for factual inaccuracy.

•Before you start your presentation, tell thejudges what plants or animals your team memberswill portray so the judges can concentrate on judgingyour presentation and not have to guess who youare. If it is important to the storyline to keep youridentities a secret from your audience, you can passa note to the judges informing them of your charac-ters without giving it away to your audience. If,however, at the end of your presentation, your audi-ence does not know your identity, points will betaken off for your failure to develop the format prop-erly. The timing of your presentation will not startuntil after the introductions are completed.

Enthusiasm and Creativity•Did your audience enjoy your presentation?•Did they relate to you and the information that

you presented?

Examples of simple costumes

On T.R.A.C.K.S. 8

less impact because the judges may spend timethinking, “What’s going on? What are they talkingabout?” and the presentation may not score quite ashigh.

·Were your actions and gestures meaningful orjust distractions?

·Did you direct your presentation to the audienceor your fellow team members?

Think “conversation.” Team members do nothave to provide all of their own information, and allthe characters do not have to share the same infor-mation at the same time. For example, if a snappingturtle, opossum, and turkey vulture are talking at theedge of a highway, the opossum may comment onthe “ugly” looks of the turkey vulture, and as theconversation continues, the snapping turtle may dis-cuss the eating habits of the opossum. Each animaldoes not have to provide their own information. Infact, it is often more enjoyable if one character dis-cusses an aspect of a different character.

Beware of “vomiting” information!Regurgitating all the information about your charac-ter at one time (e.g., habitat, food, reproduction,characteristics, unique fact, etc.) is rarely interesting,and while it may score points for the matrix (accura-cy and content), your team will probably lose pointson other aspects of the presentation, such as enthusi-asm and creativity.

Reading your presentation off of note cards is notallowed. However, note cards are sometimes usedin “game show” settings and the “host” may refer tonote cards to ask the “contestants” various questions.Judges may ask to look at note cards to ensure thecards contain questions only and no “prompting”information.

Rude and/or offensive language will not beallowed, nor will crude humor and derogatory statements.

Make sure the judges can clearly hear, under-stand, and comprehend what you are saying. Pointscannot be awarded if the judges are unable to hearand understand you. Check the acoustics of thevenue, and make sure you and your team memberscan be heard and understood.

Most of all: have fun! The judges want to beentertained! They want you to succeed. Plan, pre-pare, and practice … and come to the ECO-Meetdetermined to excite, entertain, and educate!

During an ECO-meet, the Interpretive Event is arequired team event. If a team attending a regional meet refuses to participate in theInterpretive Event, they will be disqualified from the competition both as individuals and as a team.This event is worth up to 100 points and makes up 25% of your total team score.

Interpretive Judging Panel

Example of interpretive event using puppets

Interpretive Event Scoresheet

Name of School _______________________________________________ Team _____

Time (use 5 minutes) ____/5 4.5 – 5+ = 5, 3.5 – 4.5 = 4, 2.5 – 3.5 = 3, 1.5 – 2.5 = 2, <1.5 = 1 (Points are not awarded for information presented after 5 minutes) Information presented after the 5 minutes has expired is not counted. Format /Characterization ____/5 Established Setting (where, when, introduce group members) Includes story line or plot and closing Who is portraying which organism – identifiers help Development of plant and animal characters Integrated characters into the story Accuracy/Content ____/5 Let the judges know in advance which organism you are portraying. Information related to the Kansas species must be factual. Consider gestures, props and costumes. Species Portrayed

Food Sources

Description

Habitat

Life Cycle/ Reproduction

Information of Special Interest

Enthusiasm and Creativity ____/5

Audience enjoyed the skit Team had fun Skit was new and fresh Costumes, makeup or props Character (plant or animal) roles believable

General Interpretive Techniques ____/5 Eye contact Voice tone and volume Relates directly to audience Appears relaxed Meaningful gestures

Total Points _____/25

.

Success in theECO-Meet competitions as in anyother endeavor requires dedication and adequatepreparation. It is important for teachers to recognizethat participation in ECO-Meets actually fits withthe outcomes and objectives of Kansas standards forscience.

ECO-Meet is something students enjoy that does-n’t take away from time spent in learning. It rein-forces learning and enhances students’ educationalexperience.

For more than 20 years my students have partici-pated in the regional eco-meets and based on myexperience, I offer a few tips to teachers preparingstudents for this challenging competition.

First, for almost every teacher and student time isat a premium. You squeeze in time and practiceopportunities where you can. For my students thishas often been at 7:30 or so in the mornings beforeclasses start. If you can find other times during theday or after school, great, but you will simply haveto take what is available and make it work.

What do you do with the time?

The first ECO-Meet component I start my stu-dents on is the oral presentation. We begin by brain-storming ideas that will allow them to have fourspecies of animals interact in an entertaining fashionthat also conveys information about each species lifecycle, habitat requirements and other relevant infor-mation.

When they finish their outline, I have them usethe rubric to evaluate the presentation as the judgesmight during the actual competition. This helps tospot weaknesses or omitted information in the pres-entation. Lastly, if there is any opportunity for themto perform the oral presentation before a live audi-ence, they do. This has included grade school class-es, service clubs and other groups over the years.

We start with the oral presentation componentbecause more than any other eco-meet event, itrequires teamwork. Students will need to researchthis animal (or maybe plant) character work upappropriate dialogue and interactions and memorizetheir lines. The have to rehearse the final productand everyone needs to be present.

For many students this public performance eventis the most challenging of the four, all the more rea-son to start by having students work on this eventfirst.

In terms of studying as a team, the two eventsthat require the least attention are the table test orpullout events. Students can study for these ontheir own whenever they can find a few minutes.

I have prepared a sort of study guide for studentsmade up of several hundred-sample questions of thesort often found on the pullout tests. It is a self-paced guide with questions and possible answers onone page and on the next page are the correctanswers. At some point in time I will probably con-vert this guide to a CD version that allows automaticfeedback for correctness of an answer.

Questions in my study guide cover Kansas mam-mals, fish, insects, reptiles and amphibians as wellas birds.

Typically, the questions are based on facts orunusual information found in reference material onour native species. For example, “What Kansasmammal always bears four young of the same sex”?Further on, there might be another question such as,“What mammal related to the anteaters has beenexpanding its range northward in Kansas”?

On T.R.A.C.K.S. 10

Preparing for ECO-Meet: Tips For Teachersby Elby Adamson, ECO-Meet Coach 20+ yrs, Clay Co. Schools

Coach Adamson

In some cases I have drawings including someof the fins of fish and questions about the drawingssuch as identifying various fins or even identifyinga catfish by looking at a drawing of the caudal fin.

I also have boxes of skulls, bones, furs, turtleshells and even fresh water mussel shells that I useto reinforce what we’ve been reading about withhand-on opportunities. And yes, I have a stuffednine-banded armadillo students can pick up if theywant.

For teachers who don’t have the time or interestin creating learning kits such as these, the KansasDepartment of Wildlife, Parks and Tourism andsome of the state’s museums and nature centershave chests of materials you can borrow to usewith students.

Ornithology has forced me to utilize technologyto do some things I couldn’t accomplish witha print study guide. Toprepare for the ornitholo-gy pullout test last year, Ipared the number of birdsdown significantly. Withmore than 470 speciesoccurring in the state,

there are simply too many for students to knowbefore the test. Decide what the most likelyspecies are for the upcoming test and find copy-right free images as well as bird songs and callsyou can load to a CD. It may be possible to down-load to iPad’s Sibley’s ebirds of North America for$20 or less and there are down loads for iPods thatmay be offered at a reasonable cost. Still too muchtime and money? Consider having students look upeach species on your study list at Cornell’sOrnithology Lab’s All About Birds website. Theywill find information about each species along withcalls and songs, photographs and in some casesshort video clips.

There is a host of other websites that are alsouseful. I must mention that the Great Plains NatureCenter has many images useful for studying for theECO-Meet events and it is the host site for ECO-Meet information. The areas to be tested in thetable tests are listed for several years in advance sothat teachers and students have time to prepare forupcoming tests.

The last ECO-Meet activity is the scavengerhunt and this is a favorite with many students.Preparation can consist of bringing in samples ofleaves, and other plant materials from the localarea to be used in practice sessions. Emphasizethose characteristics that help identify a particularplant. Some of these are obvious such as the arrow-shaped leaf of the aquatic plant known as arrow-head. Others, such as the fine hair-like structuresfound when you pull a leaf of rough-leaved dog-wood apart ,are more difficult to see but providevaluable tools for plant identification.

By far the best way to practice for the scav-enger hunt is to do a nature walk. I have a friendwith several hundred acres that encompasses somegreat riparian areas, some ponds for aquatic vegeta-tion, tallgrass prairie and even some old-growthtimber. He not only lets my students and I to walkon his property, he goes along and helps us identifyplants as he knows virtually all the plants on hisproperty and the key characteristics to identifyingthem.My guess would be there is probably some-one in your area who has the property and expert-ise to help you and your students prepare for thescavenger hunt as well.

At the ECO-Meets there are only winners in thesense that students gain a greater understandingand appreciation of nature and the complex interac-tions that make up our environment. They will bethe stewards of our natural resources for years tocome. Our preparation of them now helps deter-mine how effective their stewardship will be.

On T.R.A.C.K.S. 11

On T.R.A.C.K.S. 12

The topics for the two table tests for ECO-Meet are rotated each year in an attempt to exposethe participants to all that Kansas has to offer inflora, fauna and habitats. The Habitat Test rotatesthrough Shortgrass Prairie, Tallgrass Prairie,Woodlands and Wetlands/Aquatic. The Focus Testdrills in on one group of animals each year. In2012 that group is Passerine birds. In past years ithas been mammals, invertebrates or reptiles &amphibians. Thus, students who participate inECO-Meet over 3-4 years will have an opportunityto learn about a wide variety of our native biota.

Limiting the scope of the tests each year alsomakes it easier for a student or coach to prepare foreach year’s competition by reducing the amount ofmaterial that needs to be studied. The ECO-MeetCommittee provides study lists of species that aretailored to fit each year’s topics, and those lists areposted in pdf format on the Kansas ECO-Meetwebsite. Students and their coaches can downloadthe lists in advance of each year’s competition toprepare for it. The Habitat Test for 2012-2013focuses on the Shortgrass Prairie, so the mammal,reptile, amphibian and fish lists have been filteredto include only those species found in the westernhalf of Kansas.

Because it is so big, the list of insects is dividedinto four roughly equal parts on a four year rota-tion, but not necessarily tailored to that year’sHabitat Test. Other animal groups remain constantfrom year to year: Miscellaneous invertebrates,Threatened & Endangered Species, Woody Plantsand Grasses & Forbs.

In addition to the study lists, other backgroundmaterials are also provided on theECO-Meet web-site as well as links to relevant online resources.So, by logging onto the ECO-Meet website it ispossible to obtain comprehensive study materialsfor each year’s tests.

How To Prepare for Table Testsby Jim Mason, Great Plains Nature Center

www.kansasecomeet.org

Sometimes table tests are moved outside as with thisinsect test.

On T.R.A.C.K.S. 13

Always popular at ECO-Meets, the ScavengerHunt can be a source of frustration for some teams.Presented with a list of 25 to 40 items representingforbs, grasses, woody plants, animals ormiscellaneous and only 30 minutes to identify andcollect these items, a team can easily beoverwhelmed. But a little advanced planning andstudying can quickly get you over the hump and onyour way to successful collecting.

On the ECO-Meet website there are lists ofspecies that you should be at least somewhat famil-iar with. Learn the difference between a forb, agrass, and a woody plant. Learn some basic con-cepts such as cool and warm season plants, simpleleaves versus compound leaves, palmate versuspinnate, as well as different plant parts and differ-ent forms of plants (leaves, stems, rosettes, etc.)The list of plants is far too large to expect one tolearn all the first year, but focus first on the mostcommon species in your area or where yourregional ECO-Meet will be held. If time allows,each team member can specialize inlearning one of the four groups.

If it is your first year, don´t think that it isimpossible to learn. Just take one plant at a timeand keep building on it. Some people find learninghow to identify plants easier than others. Everyonelearns in different ways so figure out what worksfor you. Remember, field guides can be used inthe scavenger hunt, but that means you need tolearn your field guide and how to use it. Tryingto look up every item on the list in the field guidecan slow you down. Remember that many of thefield guides may show you a flower in bloom or atree in the middle of summer. Learn how to identi-fy the plant in the fall after the flowers have be-come seed heads or the tree leaves have all fallen.

Once you have the list at the ECO-Meet, take aminute or two to strategize. See what´s on the listthat you know, you might know or you have noclue about. Get the easier items first. Don´t wastetime trying to figure out something you don´t know

and miss collecting something you do know.Collect the known items first and then take thetime to figure out what a pawpaw or persimmonlooks like!

Some teams split up intogroups, some teams stay togetherand some teams have all fourmembers going in different direc-tions. Spend some time practicingwith your team so everyone canlearn how each other works. Firstimpressions are often correct deci-sions. Don´t spend a lot of timesecond guessing yourself or your

teammates.Some teams will use re-

sealable plastic bags and per-manent markers to keep theiritems identified and separat-ed. This can be very helpfulas a big bluestem seed headon the plant can be very easyto identify, but pulling it out of a collection bag byitself can suddenly turn daunting. Just make surethat whatever you use for a collecting bag will holdall your specimens and not leave a trail behind youas you dash back at the last minute.

Take a few minutes to get organized once col-lecting is done. Determine who your captain willbe. The captain has the final word on any specimenthat is in dispute or uncertainty about what speci-men to turn in. Once you give the judge the item,you don´t get it back, right or wrong. Since someitems may be able to be used for multiple respons-es, make sure you don´t hand in an upcominganswer too early, especially on a wild guess!

The scavenger hunt can be a lot of fun. Takesome time to learn plants, get yourself and yourteam organized and turn your 30 minutes into adeliberate collection time, not a wild goose chase!

Scavenger Hunt Tips and Tricksby Chuck Otte, Geary Co. Extension Agent

On T.R.A.C.K.S. 14

How to Keep Your Team Active Year Around

The practice and hard work that goes into yourECO-Meet team does not have to be a fleetingmemory of the fall. There are many other competi-tions and activities that take place throughout theyear that can be used as opportunities for yourECO-Meet team.

ECO-Meet occurs in the fall by design. Itfocuses on the basic concepts and identification ofthe native flora and fauna of Kansas--sort of theground floor of understanding the habitats andecosystems of the state-- and it occurs soon afterthe school year starts.

Most of the testing focuses on identifying thisor that or interpreting what teeth, claws, talons, etctell you about the animal and where you might findit. Building on this knowledge and expanding it toinclude what makes good wildlife habitat or whatare the best practices for water and soil conserva-tion will equip your ECO-Meet team to go on andcompete in the 4-H Wildlife Habitat EvaluationContest or the Canon Envirothon to name a few.

The Wildlife Habitat Evaluation (WHEP) is a 4-H and FFA youth natural resourceprogram dedicated to teaching wildlifeand fisheries habitat management tojunior and senior level (ages 8-19)youth in the United States. It providesparticipants an opportunity to test their

wildlife knowledge in a friendly competition, aseach state supporting WHEP conducts an annualcontest where teams of 3-4 similarly aged individu-als gather.The winning senior (14-19 years of age)WHEP team from each state earns the right toattend the annual National WHEP Contest. Moreinformation can be obtained by visiting kansas4-h.org or www.whep.org.

Since the state competition for WHEP occurs inJanuary, it can be the first competition followingECO-Meet that your team enters. Winning at thisevent will allow your team to travel to a nationalcompetition, typically held the last full week ofJuly, in a different state each year.

Following WHEP is the Envirothon competitiontypically held in April or early May at severalregionals across the state. Envirothon is corporatelysponsored by Canon andis advertised as NorthAmerica's largest highschool environmentaleducation competition.Participants are tested on aquatic ecology, forestry,soils and land use, wildlife, and a special topicwhich changes each year. The Kansas Associationof Conservation Districts (KACD) is the majorsponsor of the Envirothon competition in Kansas.More information can be obtained at www.kacd-net.org/kansasenvirothon or at www.envirothon.org.

There are other competitions as well that couldbenefit from the studying done for ECO-Meet inthe fall. FFA has a program of range judging thattakes place in late April. More information aboutthis can be found at www.rangejudging.com.

Scholar’s Bowl is also a competition that oftenhas environmental topics or native flora and faunaquestions. Sanctioned as a KSHSAA activity, schol-ar’s bowl (or quizbowl) is a competition with ques-tions on all topics of human knowledge. Regionalsoccur in late January and the state competition inFebruary.

And, finally, there is the Science Olympiad pro-gram. Events cover biology, physics, chemistry,earth science, engineering and inquiry. There ismore info at webs.wichita.edu/scienceolympiad

Even if your ECO-Meet team doesn’t participatein any additional competitions, studying for nextyear’s ECO-Meet can take place year-around.Suggest students participate in wildflower walks,monthly bird walks, field trips to natural areas suchas Konza Prairie or Tallgrass Prairie NationalPreserve, or take part in citizen science groups thatmonitor things such as stream quality or butterflymigration. Ultimately, our goal is to create a citi-zenry that understands the natural world and willbecome better stewards of our planet.

On T.R.A.C.K.S. 16

Editor:Pat Silovsky

ContributingAuthors:Pat SilovskyMike RaderLorrie BeckChuck OtteJim MasonElby Adamson

EditorialAssistant:Shelby Stevens

On TRACKS is pub-lished by the KansasDepartment of Wildlife& Parks several timesduring the school year.

The purpose of OnTRACKS is to dissemi-nate information andeducational resourcespertaining to the natural,historic, and culturalresources of the prairie,emphasizing Kansasecology. Information ispresented from the per-spective of current sci-entific theory.

Pat SilovskyMilford Nature Center3415 Hatchery Dr.Junction City, KS(785) 238-5323pat.silovsky@ksoutdoors.com

Alaine Neelly HudlinThe Prairie Center26325 W. 135th St.Olathe, KS 66061(913) 856-7669alaine.hudlin@ksoutdoors.com

Mike RaderPratt Headquarters512 SE 25th AvePratt, KS 67124(620) 672-0708mike.rader@ksoutdoors.com

Pam MartinKansas Wetlands Education Ctr592 N.E. K-96 HWYGreat Bend, KS 67530(620) 786-7456pam.martin@ksoutdoors.com

Equal opportunity to participate in and benefit from programs described herein is available toall individuals, without regards to their race, color, national origin or ancestry, religion, sex,age, sexual preference, mental or physical handicap, or political affiliation. Complaints ofdiscrimination should be sent to: Office of the Secretary, Kansas Department of Wildlife &Parks, 1020 S. Kansas Ave, Suite 200, Topeka, KS 66612-1327.