New York State Department of Environmental Conservation Forest Rangers respond to search and rescue incidents statewide. Working with other state agencies, local emergency response organizations and volunteer search and rescue groups, Forest Rangers locate and extract lost, injured or distressed people from the backcountry.
“Across New York, DEC’s Forest Rangers’ are on the front lines helping people safely enjoy the great outdoors,” said Acting DEC Commissioner Basil Seggos. “Their knowledge of first aid, land navigation and technical rescue techniques are critical to the success of their missions which take them from remote wilderness areas, with rugged mountainous peaks to white-water rivers, and throughout our vast forested areas statewide.”
Recent missions carried out by DEC Forest Rangers include:
Essex County
Town of Keene
Dix Mountain Wilderness
Injured hiker: On May 14, 2016 at 4:11 p.m., DEC Ray Brook Dispatch received a request for assistance for a 50-year-old man from Brewster, NY with a possible lower leg injury on the Round Pond trail in the Dix Mountain Wilderness. A Wilderness EMT provided First Aid to the man and helped him make his way down the trail. DEC Forest Rangers responded and reached the injured man at 6:30 p.m. With assistance, the hiker walked out to the last 6/10 of a mile of the hike. From there, Rangers carried him in a litter to the trail head, where he told them his companions would assist him in seeking medical attention. The incident concluded at 9:15 p.m.
Town of Keene
Private Property
Injured hiker: On May14, 2016 at 8:08 p.m., the caretaker of the Adirondack Mountain Reserve (AMR) contacted DEC Ray Brook Dispatch reporting a 33-year-old man from Drummondville, QC, CA with a possible leg injury between Elk Pass and the Lake Road on the AMR property. DEC Forest Rangers responded to the Lake Road. The reporting party had gone back into the woods to assist his companion. Forest Rangers reached the men at 10:30 p.m. They carried the injured man out a short distance to the Lake Road and then transported the men to their vehicle. At that time the injured man told Forest Rangers he would seek medical attention on his own. The incident concluded at 11:30 p.m.
Greene County
Town of Hunter
Indian Head Wilderness
Lost hiker: On May 11, 2016, at 4:30 p.m., DEC dispatch received a report of a lost hiker on the Devil’s Path hiking trail. A 31-year-old woman became lost and unable to locate the marked trail. The hiker stated she was in very thick woods and unable to find her way out, but she thought she was approximately one mile from Notch Lake. GPS coordinates from the lost subject’s cell phone indicated she was north of Danny’s Lookout near the top of Plateau Mountain. A DEC Forest Ranger responded and began to hike in while a DEC Environmental Conservation officer provided communications from Notch Lake. The Ranger located the woman and her dog approximately a quarter mile north of the Devil’s Path and Danny’s Lookout. They both bushwhacked back to the trail and hiked the remaining 1.3 miles out to Notch Lake. The hiker did not require any medical attention. The incident concluded at 8:30 p.m.
Be sure to properly prepare and plan before entering the backcountry. Visit DEC’s Hiking Safety (http://www.dec.ny.gov/outdoor/28708.html) and Adirondack Trail Information (http://www.dec.ny.gov/outdoor/7865.html) webpage for more information.
