Competing against her peers from across the state, ODY’s Grace Wheatley placed third in the Female Pulp Throw contest at the New York State Conservation Competition on May 21 at SUNY Morrisville.
Grace, who is enrolled in the Herkimer BOCES Conservation program, was among more than 200 students from 13 BOCES across the state who competed in a variety of forestry, heavy equipment and woodsman skill challenges.
The annual conservation competition provides an opportunity for student participants to showcase skills they learn during the school year in a variety of forestry, outdoor recreation and conservation-related contests. Events challenge students in areas such as tool handling, tree identification, fire building and teamwork while emphasizing safety and environmental stewardship.
Herkimer BOCES students representing schools from throughout the region excelled across several individual and team competitions, capturing four state titles and several other top finishes for their performances. They also earned more than $7,500 in scholarships through the competition. Read more on the Herkimer BOCES website
“The Conservation class demonstrated tremendous effort, teamwork and dedication throughout the competition,” Herkimer BOCES Conservation instructor William Carpenter said. “Their success reflects the hard work they have put in all year developing forestry, outdoor and conservation skills. The program is extremely proud of all students who competed and represented Herkimer BOCES at the state level.”
The New York State Conservation Contest has been in operation since the 1980’s and is organized by conservation instructors across New York.