Clausen to participate in State Geo Bee Friday

Payton Clausen not only won the Phillips County Geography Bee, but he passed a state entrance test with flying colors.

This means Clausen will participate in the State Geography Bee held this Friday in Billings.

The winner of the State Geo Bee will travel to the National Geographic Society's headquarters in Washington D.C. to compete in the national competition on May 11-13.

One of the questions Clausen had to answer during the state qualifying test was, If you had to pick one endangered animal to save, which one would you pick? Where does it live? Why would you want to try to save it.

Clausen answered, "Manatee because it's a big cool creature. They get ran over all the time by boats in Florida."

Clausen has yet to see a manatee yet, but he learned of the creature from his grandmother.

Another question he was asked was In the movie Frozen, which peninsula is the movie scene taking place at?

Though he didn't know the answer during his interview, he knew it during the test.

Rather than burning through geography pages with a study group, Clausen is planning on studying with the internet as his study tool.

"I haven't started studying yet but I have to this week because it's on Friday," Clausen said.

His aim is to focus on different countries and learn as much as he can. This includes learning what the dominant languages are in each country and their different cultures.

He will be studying other cultures, but the history of the United States is what intrigues him the most.

"It's just amazing how we got from fighting with the British to where we are now," Clausen said.

His favorite part of our nation's history is the Manifest Destiny, which was a period of American expansion from coast to coast.

"It's where the pioneer or backwoods people moved all the way west after the Louisiana Purchase," Clausen said. "The Oregon Trail, the Mormon Trail and Sante Fe."

Though he has no favorite pioneer, Jedediah Smith is close to it.

"He was a mountain man, who opened up the west," Clausen said.

When asked if he would ever consider pioneer living, Clausen said maybe.

Though Clausen loves geography, his favorite subject is science and he one day wants to be a Fish and Game Law Enforcer.

"I get to do what I want to do, like go outdoors and be with hunters and protect the wildlife," Clausen.