New York State Department of Environmental Conservation Forest Rangers respond to search and rescue incidents in the Adirondacks. 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 Adirondack backcountry.

What follows is a report, prepared by DEC, of recent missions carried out by Forest Rangers in the Adirondacks.

Essex County

Town of North Elba
Wilderness Search: On March 11 at 4:45 pm, Ray Brook’s DEC Dispatch received a call transferred from Essex County 911 reporting a 23-year-old male lost while wilderness skiing on the open slopes on Wright Peak. Essex County provided the subject’s cell phone coordinates. Two Rangers and a local guide responded and began searching for the subject in the area of the coordinates with no results. The subject called 911 again and provided updated coordinates. Rangers located the subject in good health just after 8:30 pm, and assisted him to the Adirondack Loj on foot and with snowmobiles. All units were clear by 9:16 pm.

Also, in Albany and Schoharie counties:

Snowmobile Patrols: From March 9 to 11, several Forest Rangers conducted snowmobile safety checks and enforcement patrols on state lands in Albany and Schoharie counties. The areas included Burnt-Rossman Hills State Forest and Partridge Run Wildlife Management Area. Forest Rangers concentrated on checking for safety equipment, loud exhausts, and registration and insurance compliance checks. A total of 69 snowmobiles and operators were checked and the Rangers issued a total of 10 violations.

Be Prepared: Properly prepare and plan before entering the backcountry. Visit DEC’s Hiking Safety webpage and Adirondack Trail Information webpage for more information about where you intend to travel. The Adirondack Almanack reports weekly Outdoor Conditions each Thursday afternoon.