Young students dive into forestry, wildlife at 4-H event
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Submitted photo
Penn State Extension’s 4-H Wildlife and Forestry Field Day was held recently at Rock Springs. Pictured are, from left, Lena Barahona, Josiah Steele, Teagan Snyder, Elijah Steele, Obadiah Steele, Levi Hartsock, Hadley Snyder and Zachary Reeder.
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Elijah Steele, of Mifflin County, placed fourth in the Individual Wildlife Science competition.
Submitted photo
Penn State Extension’s 4-H Wildlife and Forestry Field Day was held recently at Rock Springs. Pictured are, from left, Lena Barahona, Josiah Steele, Teagan Snyder, Elijah Steele, Obadiah Steele, Levi Hartsock, Hadley Snyder and Zachary Reeder.
ROCK SPRINGS — Recently, Penn State Extension gave youth from across Pennsylvania an opportunity to explore their interest in wildlife and forestry at the 4-H Wildlife and Forestry Field Day, held at the Russell E. Larson Agricultural Research Center at Rock Springs. The event was open to external participants, including those not involved in 4-H. The 2026 theme was “Habitats.”
As Micah Staples, 4-H Environmental Science State Project Ambassador, said in his opening, “When we talk about our environment, we often talk about it as a whole, but as many of you know, the environment around us can look very different depending on where we are. These different places are called ecosystems and the places within these ecosystems where animals live are called habitats. Throughout the day, you’ll journey through forests, rainforests, meadows, freshwater ecosystems, deserts, wetlands, oceans, and taigas, learning what makes them all unique and how animals adapt to these different environments to survive.”
The “Exploratory Track” for youth included a journey through the different habitats with hands-on wildlife and forestry educational activities and guest speakers.
Workshops included:
• “Forests” with Paul Smith from PA Department of Ag WoodMobile.
Submitted photo
Elijah Steele, of Mifflin County, placed fourth in the Individual Wildlife Science competition.
• “Rainforests” with Tyler Depman, 4-H Environmental Science State Project Ambassador from Montgomery County.
• “Fresh Water” with Micah Staples, 4-H Environmental Science State Project Ambassador from Monroe County.
• “Meadows” with Jake Smith and Madeline Nelly from the Pennsylvania Game Commission.
• “Deserts” with Kayla Fusselman, 4-H extension educator based in Carbon County.
• “Wetlands” with Abby Brockett, 4-H extension educator based in Venango County.
• “Oceans” with Caroline Martin with Union County Conservation District.
• “Taigas” with Sara Neral, 4-H program coordinator based in Wayne County.
The “Science Tract” offered youth ages 12-18 a chance to participate in a series of educational sessions to increase their knowledge and skills related to wildlife and forest sciences. According to organizers, the sessions brought to life content from 4-H wildlife and forestry project books and helped youth better understand current conservation issues. The event was also aimed at inspiring participants to investigate potential career paths in forest and wildlife conservation.
Science tract facilitators included Michael Powell and Katie Brooks, agronomy and natural resources extension educators, John Bruner, Casimir Wheat, and Tristan Samland, students from Penn State Dubois wildlife program, Justin Heasley, 4-H extension educator in Warren and Forest counties, Tiffany Morris, 4-H extension educator from Mercer County, and Rea Gibble, 4-H extension educator in McKean County.
Table displays and hands-on activities were available throughout the day and were provided by Judi Sittler and John McCullough from Trout Unlimited, Chuck Coup from SFI- Sustainable Forestry Initiative, Colin Finch from Pheasants Forever and Trevor Fetterman, 4-H member from Somerset County.
Teens competed in knowledge and skills tests for the opportunity to attend national 4-H competitions.
The first-place team in the forestry competition included Trevor Fetterman, of Somerset County; Nathan Kennedy, of Indiana County; Carson Riley, of Huntingdon County and Anya Brown of Somerset County. This group will represent Pennsylvania at the 2026 National Forestry Competition, July 19-23 at Jackson’s Mill State 4-H Conference Center, Weston, WV.
Top achievements in Forestry Science included:
• First place to Trevor Fetterman, of Somerset County.
• Second place to Nathan Kennedy, of Indiana County.
• Third place to Carson Riley, of Huntingdon County
• Fourth place to Micah Staples of Monroe County.
The Individual Wildlife Science competition resulted in:
• First place to Seth Brehm, of Huntingdon County.
• Second place to Tyler Depman, of Montgomery County.
• Third place to Chance Kirby, of Butler County.
• Fourth place to Elijah Steele, of Mifflin County.
The wildlife and forestry art contest invited entries that showcased themes of wildlife or forestry. Participants were required to submit paintings, drawings or photographs created within the project year. For the art and photo contest, 62 4-H members from 25 counties exhibited 165 entries.
Zephan Samuel, of Butler County, won “Best of Show” for photography, and Maja Fair, of Montgomery County, earned “Best of Show” for art. The People’s Choice Award went to Anja Przybycien, of Tioga County. In 2027, Pennsylvania will be hosting the National WHEP (Wildlife Habitat Education Program) contest, and members were asked to create a design for the t-shirt. Maja Fair of Montgomery County was the winner of the WHEP design contest.
The event was a collaboration among 4-H educators, state 4-H program staff, state 4-H project ambassadors, Pennsylvania Game Commission staff, volunteers and council members, and Penn State Extension professionals.