DEC Forest Rangers - Week in Review

 

Recent Statewide Forest Ranger Actions

New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) 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 across New York State.  

 

In 2022, DEC Forest Rangers conducted 359 search and rescue missions, extinguished 162 wildfires covering more than 1,300 acres, participated in 53 prescribed fires that served to rejuvenate nearly 900 acres of land, and worked on cases that resulted in hundreds of tickets and arrests. 

 

“With more people visiting State lands and enjoying New York's myriad, world-class outdoor recreational opportunities, DEC’s Forest Rangers are on the front lines to help visitors get outside responsibly and get home safely,” said DEC Commissioner Basil Seggos. “Each day, these highly trained first responders are protecting irreplaceable natural resources and utilizing their expert knowledge of wildland fire suppression, wilderness first aid, land navigation, law enforcement, and technical rescue techniques to successfully execute critical missions for DEC and our countless local, state, and national partners."

City of Albany
Albany County
Prescribed Fire: On Aug. 2, Forest Ranger Lieutenant Pachan, and Rangers Clute, Gullen, Mitchell, and Morehouse joined staff from DEC and Albany Pine Bush Preserve to conduct a prescribed burn of 19 acres at the Albany Pine Bush. Prescribed fires help prevent the spread of invasive species and reduce the risk of uncontrolled wildfires. More information and video about prescribed fires is available at https://fb.watch/k6ilqgLw-R/.

Albany Pine Bush prescribed burn 

Town of Hunter

Greene County

Water Recovery: On Aug. 8 at 3:33 p.m., Forest Ranger Dawson responded to a call for a subject trapped under the water at Fawn’s Leap. The 16-year-old was part of a group of six who traveled from Brooklyn to swim at Fawn’s Leap. Heavy rainfall the previous night created strong currents in the swimming hole. The teenager jumped 30 feet into the water hole and got pulled under by the current. A member of another group called 911. Ranger Dawson and Hunter Police arrived at 4 p.m. Ranger Dawson entered the water with a seven foot long rescue pole, but was unable to find the subject. A New York State Police Diver searched the opposite side of the water hole and found the subject five feet underwater, pinned against a ledge. The swimmer was declared deceased by a Greene County Paramedic. Rangers and other volunteers packaged the subject into a litter and raised him using a low angle rope technique.

Watch Hill rescue 

Town of Keene
Essex County

Wilderness Rescue: On Aug. 9 at 12:40 p.m., Ray Brook Dispatch requested Forest Ranger assistance for a hiker who fell approximately 40 feet off the highest waterfall in the Trap Dike on Mount Colden. Eleven Rangers responded with the help of New York State Police (NYSP) Aviation, who made multiple flights to deliver Rangers to the base of the Trap Dike. At 1:50 p.m., the Mount Colden and Marcy Dam caretakers reached the 23-year-old from Canada who had suffered significant head, rib, hip, and leg injuries. Rangers set up a multi-pitch, steep-angle rope rescue. After safely packaging the subject into a litter, Rangers and other rescuers successfully lowered the patient down to the base of the Trap Dike and carried him to the NYSP helicopter on the edge of Avalanche Lake. The patient was flown to the hospital at 5:45 p.m.

Ranger Foutch describes the rescue in a video available on DEC’s YouTube page at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tKX61Ar3-08. The Trap Dike is a Class Four climb and should only be attempted by those with the proper experience and equipment.

Be sure to properly prepare and plan before entering the backcountry. Visit DEC's Hike Smart NY, Adirondack Backcountry Information, and Catskill Backcountry Information webpages for more information.

 

If a person needs a Forest Ranger, whether it's for a search and rescue, to report a wildfire, or to report illegal activity on state lands and easements, they should call 833-NYS-RANGERS. If a person needs urgent assistance, they can call 911. To contact a Forest Ranger for information about a specific location, the DEC website has phone numbers for every Ranger listed by region: http://on.ny.gov/NYSForestRangerRoster