Recent NYS DEC actions:

Town of Keene
Essex County
Wilderness Rescue: On April 3 at 9:30 a.m., Forest Rangers Evans and Lewis responded to a call for an injured hiker on Big Slide Mountain. At 11:25 a.m., Ranger Evans found the 34-year-old from Scotia, splinted the hiker’s injured shoulder, and helped her to the trailhead. Ranger Lewis and Keene Valley EMS were hiking up from the Garden trailhead and met the group to provide pain medication. Rangers assisted the subject back to the trailhead at approximately 1 p.m.

Town of Wells
Hamilton County
Wilderness Rescue: On April 3 at 3:14 p.m., Forest Ranger Nally overheard a Hamilton County radio call for an injured subject on the Auger Falls trail. Ranger Nally responded with Wells Fire, Speculator Fire, Hamilton County Sheriff’s Deputies, New York State Police, and ambulances from Greater Amsterdam Volunteer Ambulance Corps and Wells Ambulance. A Sheriff’s Deputy located the 61-year-old from Connecticut, who was hiking up from the falls when he fell and injured his right knee. A passing hiker saw the subject and drove into Speculator to call for help. Ranger Nally worked with other rescuers to splint the subject’s leg before packaging him into a wheeled litter. The subject was then transported by Wells ambulance to the hospital. Resources were clear by 4 p.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.