Watching the wildlife

More than 400 students from the area participated in a wildlife event on Wednesday. Students learned how to identify wildlife among other things. Courtesy photos

Special to the News-Times

Coldspring-Oakhurst High School students joined more than 400 other students from across the state at Livingston State Park for the Ducks Unlimited Field Day on Wednesday. 

Students from the COHS Wildlife Class and the Coldspring FFA Wildlife Career Development Event Team participated in the event. 

The students engaged in hands-on learning taught by wildlife biologists, Texas game wardens, and Agricultural Science teachers from several schools. 

“Students were involved in multiple activities,” said COHS Agriculture Science Instructor Beldon Rudloff. “They identified native plants that are useful to wildlife and learned how to evaluate habitats for different wildlife based on the food, shelter, and water needs of the animals. They also learned how to identify wildlife species by their tracks, scat, wings, pelts, or skulls, and they aged white-tailed deer based on the growth and wear of the deer’s teeth.”

They watched a demonstration on the training of a Labrador retriever to help retrieve waterfowl while hunting and engaged in a discussion with local game wardens about laws and regulations relating to outdoor activities such as hunting, fishing, and boating.

Rudloff said that students from the Coldspring FFA Wildlife CDE team will be competing at the District Wildlife Contest using many of the skills that were learned.