FFA Forestry Contest

One of the many subjects that FFA students study is forestry, and I have been hosting our local FFA forestry contest for many years at Sam Dale Lake, in Wayne County, Illinois. Some of the kids have prepared well, and others are just beginning to learn. Some come as contestants,and some as alternates, to learn what it is all about. One of the alternates admitted that he didn't know a thing about compass and pacing, so I showed him very quickly how to measure the azimuth from point to point, and told him to count his steps. After he went around the course I had him count his steps between two stakes 66 feet apart, and do the math for all his points. He made a score 84/100; better than some of the students who had practiced ahead of time.