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.

“DEC Forest Rangers’ knowledge of first aid, land navigation and technical rescue techniques are often critical to the success of their missions,” said DEC Commissioner Joe Martens. “Search and rescue missions often require Rangers to function in remote wilderness areas from rugged mountainous peaks to white-water rivers, and through vast forest areas from spruce-fir thicket to open hardwoods.”

Recent missions carried out by DEC Forest Rangers in the Adirondacks include:

Washington County
Private Land – Town of Fort Ann
Lost Hikers: On April 25, 2015 at 11:15 a.m., DEC Ray Brook Dispatch received a call reporting an 18-year-old man and a 19-year-old woman, both from Albany, lost in the Pilot Knob area. Warren County 911 provided coordinates which placed the pair on the trail to Warner Bay in Lake George. DEC Forest Rangers responded to the Pilot Knob Area and contacted the hikers by cell phone. Rangers told them to walk downhill toward the water. Crews located them at 12:15 p.m. on Pilot Knob Road, 1/4 of a mile from the trailhead. DEC Forest Rangers transported them back to the trailhead. The incident concluded at 12:30 p.m.

Be sure to properly prepare and plan before entering the backcountry. Visit DEC’s Hiking Safety and Adirondack Trail Information webpages for more information.