Fish & Wildlife Management

FISH AND WILDLIFE

MANAGEMENT

Merit Badge Requirements

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, water hole, 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 of 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 as 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.

Worksheet Created by: Rob Greenland – 245 East 925 South – Layton, Utah 84041 – robgreenland@juno.com

Requirement 1

Describe the meaning and purposes of fish and wildlife conservation and management: _____________________________________

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Requirement 2

List and discuss at least three major problems that continue to threaten your state’s fish and wildlife resources:

1) ________________________________________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________

2) ________________________________________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________

3) ________________________________________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Requirement 3

Use the following spaces to describe some practical ways in which everyone can help with the fish and wildlife conservation effort:

Requirement 4

List and describe 5 major fish and wildlife management practices use by managers in your state:

1) ________________________________________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________

2) ________________________________________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________

3) ________________________________________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________

4) ________________________________________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________

5) ________________________________________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Requirement 5

You have been given four options for this requirement. Select and complete one of them.

If you selected Option 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.

Briefly describe the two boxes you built and where you placed them: ___________________________________________________

After keeping records for one nesting season, show your records to your counselor: Give a brief summary of your records: ________

If you selected Option B:

Construct, erect, and check regularly bird feeders and keep written records of the kinds of birds visiting the feeders in the wintertime.

Give a brief description of the feeders you built and where you put them: ________________________________________________

List the names of the birds you witnessed using your feeders during the wintertime:

______________________________ ______________________________ ______________________________

If you selected Option C:

Design and implement a backyard wildlife habitat improvement project.

Describe your project: ________________________________________________________________________________________

What were the results of your project? ____________________________________________________________________________

If you selected Option D:

Design and construct a wildlife blind near a game trail, water hole, 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.

Describe your blind: __________________________________________________________________________________________

List the ten animals you sketched or photographed. Attach your sketches or photos to the worksheet for your counselor to view:

______________________________ ______________________________ ______________________________

______________________________

Requirement 6

You have been given three options for this requirement. Select and complete one of them.

If you selected Option 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.

Animal: _____________________ Date Seen: __________ Where Seen: __________________________________________

If you selected Option B:

List the wildlife species in your state that are classified as endangered, threatened, exotic, game species, furbearers, or migratory game birds.

Species: _________________________ Classification: _____________________________________________

If you selected Option C:

Start a scrapbook of 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.

__ When your scrapbook is complete show it to your merit badge counselor.

Requirement 7

You have been given four options for this requirement. Select and complete one of them.

If you selected Option 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.

Results: ____________________________________________________________________________________________________

If you selected Option B:

Conduct a creel census on a small lake to estimate catch per unit effort.

Give a brief description of how you did the creel census: _____________________________________________________________

What were the results of your census? ____________________________________________________________________________

If you selected Option C:

Examine the stomach contents of three species of fish and recording the findings:

Fish Species: _____________________________ Stomach Contents: ________________________________________________

If you selected Option D:

Make a freshwater aquarium. Include at least four species of native plants and four species of animal life, such as 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.

Give a brief description of your aquarium: ________________________________________________________________________

What are the four native plants you included in your aquarium?

_________________________ _________________________ _________________________ _________________________

What are the four species of animal life you included in your aquarium?

_________________________ _________________________ _________________________ _________________________

__ If possible, show your aquarium to your counselor.