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Adirondack Forest Ranger Search and Rescue Highlights: 10/19-10/25/15

October 26th, 2015 · No Comments · Adirondack News

NYSDEC LogoNew 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 Acting DEC Commissioner Marc Gerstman. “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:

Clinton County
Town of Ausable – County Land
Missing youth: On October 21, 2015 at 10:22 p.m., DEC Ray Brook Dispatch received a request for assistance in finding a 15-year-old male from Keeseville, NY who had been missing since 6:45 p.m. DEC Forest Rangers responded to Ausable Valley Central School where the command post was established. More than 50 firemen from four different departments; including Keeseville, Peru, Ausable and Morrisonville, assisted in search efforts. Responders conducted a search of 50 acres surrounding the school grounds with no results. The incident was turned over to New York State Police. At 10:30 a.m. the following morning a member of the school recognized the young man in the vicinity of the school. The staffer returned him to his parents.

Essex County
Town of Keene – High Peaks Wilderness
Lost hikers: On October 25, 2015 at 7:01 p.m., Essex County 911 transferred a call to DEC Ray Brook Dispatch from two lost hikers. The 29-year-old man and 26-year-old woman, both from Brockport, NY stated that while descending The Brothers they lost the trail and were not able to find it due to darkness. They were in good health but did not have flashlights or headlamps. Essex County 911 was able to provide their GPS coordinates placing them approximately .58 miles from the Garden Parking area. A DEC Forest Ranger located the pair and escorted them out to their vehicle in the Garden Parking area. The incident concluded at 8:30 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.

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