ASHVILLE — Students enrolled in the Conservation program at the Hewes Educational Center in Ashville recently competed alongside Career and Tech schools from around the state in the New York State Conservation Competition held at SUNY Cobleskill. Students compete in heavy equipment, land judging, fish and wildlife, chainsaw, various dendrology events in the morning and the Woodsmen (Ax throw, pulp toss, bow saw, two-man crosscut and fire building) events in the afternoon. Students enrolled in the Conservation program at the Hewes Educational Center earned three State Champion awards and several top-five finishes. Mike Bird of Falconer and Rion Martin of Chautauqua Lake placed first in the Fire Building Competition, unseating the previous champion seven years running. Also bringing home a top spot in Land Judging was Julianna Turk of Jamestown. Other top finishers include: Rion Martin, One man Pulp Toss, second place; Bryanna Davis of Chautauqua Lake, Tree Scaling, third place; Joe Youngberg of Falconer and Collin Paulus of Panama, differential leveling, fourth place; and Bryanna Davis, Female Pulp Toss, fourth place; and the Pulp Toss team of Zach Johnson of Southwestern, Matt Lowery of Southwestern, Collin Paulus and Joe Youngberg, finishing in fifth place.