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Entries from December 15th, 2014

Adirondack Forest Ranger Search and Rescue Highlights: 12/8-12/14/14

December 15th, 2014 · 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 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:

Essex County
Split Rock Mountain Wild Forest, Town of Westport
Lost Hunter: On December 12, 2014 at 11:30 a.m., a 49-year-old male from Panton, VT contacted Essex County 911 advising he had become lost while hunting on Split Rock Mountain in the Town of Westport. His coordinates were obtained from his cell phone, and Forest Rangers responded. Voice contact was established at 2:20 p.m. and Rangers located the hiker at 2:30 p.m. in good health. Rangers escorted him back to his vehicle at 3:30 p.m.

Split Rock Mountain Wild Forest Trailhead Sign

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

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Adirondack Forest Ranger Search and Rescue Highlights: 12/1-12/7/14

December 9th, 2014 · 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 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:

Essex County
Eastern High Peaks Wilderness, Town of North Elba
Lost Hiker: On December 6, 2014 at 4:23 p.m., a supervisor at the 1st Air Force contacted DEC Ray Brook Dispatch and reported the activation of a personal locator beacon with coordinates near the summit of Algonquin at 3:55 p.m. A 21-year-old male from Vestal, NY left the Adirondack Loj at 11:00 a.m. to hike Algonquin. While at the summit, he slid into deep snow and became disoriented. He lost the trail in poor visibility and activated his locator beacon. He called 911 several times, but due to limited cell phone coverage, his coordinates were unavailable and his calls were unsuccessfully transferred to DEC Dispatch. Two DEC Forest Rangers responded to the coordinates provided by the locator beacon. Rangers located the hiker at 8:15 p.m. and escorted him back to the Loj at 10:15 p.m. 1st Air Force and Essex County 911 assisted in the search.

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

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DEC Seeks to Amend Moose River Plains Management Plan to Improve Mountain Bike Trail System

December 4th, 2014 · No Comments · Adirondack News

Public Meeting Scheduled for December 18 in Raquette Lake

NYSDEC LogoThe New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) is seeking comments to amend the Moose River Plains Wild Forest (MRPWF) Unit Management Plan to improve its mountain bike trail system, Regional Director Robert Stegemann announced today.


“The 2011 Unit Management Plan called for DEC to create a working group consisting of mountain bikers, local governments and other interested parties to develop a comprehensive mountain bike plan for Moose River Plains,” said Director Stegemann. “A meeting of stakeholders in July 2013 resulted in DEC contracting with the International Mountain Bicycling Association to create a mountain bike trail system concept plan. The concept plan has been completed.”

The next step in the process to develop a high-quality mountain bike trail system in the Moose River Plains Wild Forest is to consider an amendment to the UMP.

DEC is initiating a public review to determine which elements of the concept plan to adopt in a UMP amendment, which will also define how a mountain bike trail system will be implemented on the ground. A public meeting will be held in the gymnasium of the Raquette Lake Union Free School, 115 State Route 28, Raquette Lake, on Thursday, December 18, beginning at 7 p.m. The school is wheelchair accessible. Please provide any requests for specific accommodation in advance to DEC at 518-897-1248.

DEC staff will provide a brief presentation on the proposals in the concept plan, identifying the proposals that may be acted on without amending the UMP; proposals that require a UMP amendment; and proposals that cannot be undertaken due to physical or regulatory restrictions. DEC will then seek thoughts and ideas from the public on the proposals in the plan.

Mountain Biking in the AdirondacksMountain biking has become a very popular activity in many places. Residents and local government officials in the communities around the Moose River Plains seek to improve their local economies by developing high-quality mountain bike trail systems to attracting mountain bikers to the area.

Comments may also be provided by January 30, 2015 in writing to McCrea Burnham, 625 Broadway, Albany, NY, 12233-4254 or e-mailed to: Adirondackpark@dec.ny.gov.

The Moose River Plains UMP and the mountain bike trail system conceptual plan can be viewed and downloaded at:
Moose River Plains Wild Forest – Unit Management Plan

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