| 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.
Village of Lake Placid
Franklin County
Wilderness Rescue: On Nov. 12 at 12:55 p.m., Central Dispatch received a call from Franklin County 911 regarding a distressed hiker. At 1:24 p.m., the hiker was with Caretaker Bastian at the Lake Colden interior outpost. Forest Rangers Evans and Bode helped the hiker down to Marcy Dam at 3:45 p.m. At 5:44 p.m., the hiker was turned over to Lake Placid Ambulance and taken to the hospital for further treatment.
Town of Wilmington
Essex County
Wilderness Search: On Nov. 14 at 7 p.m., Ray Brook Dispatch received a call from a group of hikers from New Jersey who became separated on Esther Mountain. Rangers Curcio, Evans, and Martin responded. At 11:18 p.m., Rangers found the missing hiker, assisted her out of the woods, and transported the subject to her vehicle at 12:45 a.m.
Town of Fine
St. Lawrence County
Wilderness Search: On Nov. 15 at 9:49 p.m., Ray Brook Dispatch received a call from the St. Lawrence County Sheriff’s Office requesting Forest Ranger assistance in the search for a 75-year-old hunter who had not returned from hunting earlier that day. Rangers Morehouse, Hanno, Shea, Hogan, and Baldwin were joined in the search by members of the St. Lawrence County Sheriff’s Office, State Police, and Star Lake Fire and Ambulance. At 12:39 a.m., Ranger Hanno followed the sound of a voice and found the hunter three-tenths of a mile from his home. The hunter was hypothermic and couldn’t move and responders could not find the subject’s UTV and cane. Rangers carried the hunter out in a litter to Star Lake Ambulance at 1:33 a.m.
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.
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