Collage of Conservation students posing with their projects

HERKIMER – Herkimer-Fulton-Hamilton-Otsego BOCES Conservation program students not only learn about wildlife conservation efforts during their main junior project, but they also gain valuable experience with public speaking and time management.

Conservation instructor William Carpenter has his students do the projects and present them to students from other Career and Technical Education programs as a type of public speaking that goes beyond talking up in front of just your own classmates.

“It gets them outside of their comfort zone,” Carpenter said. “Public speaking is huge. It’s kind of why I started this project.”

Juniors in the Herkimer BOCES Conservation program recently completed their end-of-the-school-year capstone projects on animal conservation. Students were required to select an animal species in New York state that has conservation efforts surrounding it.

Students started preparing the project in January and had a 10-page research paper due in May. They also made display boards based on their papers and presented about their projects to other Herkimer BOCES students on Tuesday, May 24, in the lobby at the Herkimer BOCES William E. Busacker Complex in Herkimer.

Their research papers and projects were about the challenges their animal species is facing and what conservation efforts they would propose for the species in the coming years. Students use information from the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation and compare what they find to issues in surrounding states, Carpenter said.

This is Carpenter’s sixth year as the Conservation instructor and the sixth year of this project.

One thing that has changed is that Sarah Crowe, Herkimer BOCES Technical Education English teacher, teamed up with Carpenter on the project in recent years. She has helped students with aspects of the projects including the research papers, citation and getting their displays ready.

When starting the project, students have free reign to decide what animal species to focus on, Carpenter said. “That’s very beneficial because then the project interests them,” he said.


Conservation student talking to science teacher by animal conservation project

Herkimer-Fulton-Hamilton-Otsego BOCES science teacher Holly White and Conservation program junior Morgan Perry, of Central Valley, discuss Perry’s animal conservation project on Tuesday, May 24, in the lobby at the Herkimer BOCES William E. Busacker Complex in Herkimer.  

 



Conservation student standing by his animal conservation project

Herkimer-Fulton-Hamilton-Otsego BOCES Conservation program junior Patrick Keaty, of Herkimer, poses by his animal conservation project on Tuesday, May 24, in the lobby at the Herkimer BOCES William E. Busacker Complex in Herkimer.



Conservation student standing by his animal conservation project

Herkimer-Fulton-Hamilton-Otsego BOCES Conservation program junior Tyler Eaker, of Central Valley, poses by his animal conservation project on Tuesday, May 24, in the lobby at the Herkimer BOCES William E. Busacker Complex in Herkimer.



Conservation student standing by her animal conservation project

Herkimer-Fulton-Hamilton-Otsego BOCES Conservation program junior Quinn Battisti, of Little Falls, poses by her animal conservation project on Tuesday, May 24, in the lobby at the Herkimer BOCES William E. Busacker Complex in Herkimer.



Conservation student standing by her animal conservation project

Herkimer-Fulton-Hamilton-Otsego BOCES Conservation program junior Emily Marquissee, of Herkimer, poses by her animal conservation project on Tuesday, May 24, in the lobby at the Herkimer BOCES William E. Busacker Complex in Herkimer.