Town of North Elba
Essex County
Wilderness Rescue: On Nov. 15 at 2:45 p.m., Ray Brook Dispatch requested Forest Ranger assistance with the search for a hiker on Mount Marcy. The 35-year-old from Toronto became lost while hiking with her two dogs. After speaking with the hiker, Ranger Curcio determined she had started from the Adirondak Loj, took the high water route, and crossed Indian Falls. Rangers Curcio and DiCintio headed into Marcy Dam to begin a linear search.

Dispatch called the Rangers with a new set of coordinates during their search, placing the hiker approximately 500 feet east of Indian Falls. At 6:24 p.m., Rangers made audio contact with the hiker and found her off trail in thick spruce. Rangers warmed the subject and escorted her and her dogs down to Marcy Dam and then to the Loj. Resources were clear at 9 p.m.

» Continue Reading.

Town of Dickinson
Franklin County
Wilderness Search: On Nov. 8 at 7:50 p.m., Forest Rangers Booth, Bronson, Praczkajlo, and Russell responded to a report of an overdue hunter in the town of Dickinson. The reporting party found the 79-year-old’s vehicle near Mosier Hill, but could not find the subject. Rangers searched the hunter’s usual hunting location with negative results. At approximately 1:45 a.m., while conducting linear searches, Ranger Praczkajlo noticed something shiny in the woods. It was the hunter’s rifle.

Ranger Praczkajlo radioed the other Rangers and they started searching the area. Rangers found the subject approximately 50 yards from the rifle, scratched, bruised, and hypothermic after falling into a swamp.

» Continue Reading.

Town of Indian Lake
Hamilton County
Search Turns to House Fire and Rescue: On Oct 31 at 9:40 p.m., New York State Police (NYSP) requested Forest Ranger assistance in locating a subject originally reported as an overdue hunter. The family of the 25-year-old from Hudson had reported the individual missing and indicated he might be despondent and suicidal. Ranger Lieutenant Kerr and Rangers Miller, Nally, and Scott responded to the Blue Mountain trailhead where NYSP found the subject’s car. Rangers searched the Blue Mountain and Tirrell Pond areas through the night.

At 2:50 p.m. the following day, a passerby alerted Rangers to a house fire approximately one-half mile away from their command post. Rangers and Hamilton County Sheriff’s Deputies pushed through the door and found the subject of the search unconscious on the floor.

» Continue Reading.

Town of Arietta
Hamilton County
Public Service: On Oct. 27, with the help of New York State Police Aviation, Forest Rangers Kerr, Nally, Thompson, and DEC Forester Desantis conducted sling load missions into the West Canada Lake Wilderness. Rangers were dropped off at West Lake and South Lake and received four sling loads of lean-to supplies at each site to replace aging structures.

» Continue Reading.

Town of Arietta
Hamilton County
Wilderness Search: On Oct. 19 at 7:30 p.m., Forest Rangers Kerr, Nally, Scott, and Thompson responded to a call for a missing hunter at the Otter Lake campsite. The 68-year-old from Bellmore was last seen at 11 a.m. and was expected back by 1 p.m. The subject did not have any navigation tools, lights, or proper clothing for the weather.

Rangers and a Hamilton County Sheriff’s Deputy searched through the night with no success. The following morning, 11 Rangers and five Sheriff’s Deputies searched trails, streams, and drainages.

» Continue Reading.

Town of North Elba
Essex County
Wilderness Rescue: On Oct. 12 at 12 p.m., Ray Brook Dispatch requested Forest Ranger assistance for a hiker with a potentially dislocated knee approximately one mile from the summit of Mount Marcy. Due to the subject’s condition and location, New York State Police (NYSP) Aviation was called in to assist. At 2 p.m., Ranger O’Connor, the hoist operator, inserted Ranger Curcio approximately one-half mile from the subject.

Ranger Curcio hiked down to the 63-year-old from North Carolina, who had hit his knee on a rock and possibly tore a ligament. Ranger Curcio splinted the leg, walked the hiker to a safe location for a hoist, and harnessed him for Ranger O’Connor to hoist him into the helicopter.

» Continue Reading.

Town of Benson
Hamilton County
Wilderness Rescue: On Sept. 28 at 6 p.m., Ray Brook Dispatch requested Forest Ranger assistance with two hikers who became separated from each other on the Northville Placid Trail. Rangers Miller, Nally, and Thompson responded to the area and started checking trail registers before searching three different sections of the first 18 miles of the trail.

Ranger Thompson located the 35-year-old from Arizona asleep at the primitive campsite where the hikers originally planned to meet. The hikers unknowingly passed each other at one point. Rangers ensured the hikers met up the following day.

» Continue Reading.

Town of Newcomb
Essex County
Wilderness Rescue: On Sept. 27 at 8 p.m., two hikers called 911 requesting a helicopter ride down from Allen Mountain. Forest Rangers Martin and Quinn, and Assistant Forest Ranger (AFR) Jackson advised that Rangers would hike up to help the pair. The 19- and 35-year-old hikers did not have headlamps, a map, a compass, or adequate food and water.

Rangers reached the hikers from Utica at 10:40 p.m., and found the pair hypothermic and dehydrated. It was raining with temperatures in the 40s. Rangers provided warm clothing and food, and helped the hikers down to the trailhead. Resources were clear at 12:45 a.m.

» Continue Reading.

Town of Lake Pleasant
Hamilton County
Wilderness Rescue: On Sept. 23 at 11:15 a.m., Forest Ranger Lieutenant Kerr and Rangers Temple and Thompson responded to an emergency beacon activation in the West Canada Lake Wilderness area. When Ranger Temple reached the Moose River Plains trailhead, a hiker came out of the woods and reported that a hiker in their group had hurt her knee and was slowly making her way back to the trailhead.

The friend was retrieving the injured hiker’s backpack to make the trip easier. Ranger Temple hiked in, found the injured hiker, and determined the 62-year-old from Staten Island had a swollen, but stable, knee. Ranger Temple bandaged the knee for compression purposes and helped the hiker to the trailhead by 2:30 p.m. The subject said she would seek medical treatment on her own.

» Continue Reading.

Town of Watson
Lewis County
Wilderness Rescue: On Sept. 14 at 1 p.m., Forest Rangers responded to the Otter Creek horse trails in the Independence Wild Forest after receiving reports of a subject who was thrown from her horse, suffering a possible spine injury.

Martinsburg Fire Department arrived on scene and secured the 32-year-old from Clarence Center to a back board.

Ranger Evans arrived with a six-wheeler and customized litter carrier to transport the patient to a waiting Lewis County Search and Rescue ambulance. Resources were clear by 1:45 p.m.

» Continue Reading.

Town of Long Lake
Hamilton County
Wilderness Rescue: On Sept. 8 at 2:45 p.m., Ray Brook Dispatch requested Forest Ranger assistance for a subject with a possible arm fracture near the summit of Coney Mountain. Ranger Praczkajlo made phone contact with the hiker’s companions and suggested the group continue walking down the trail until a Ranger could meet them.

Ranger Milano met up with the group and determined there were two injured parties, but no broken arm. One of the hikers became disoriented due to medication. Rangers helped the hikers to the trailhead and resources were clear at 4:30 p.m.

» Continue Reading.

Town of Hope
Hamilton County
Wilderness Recovery: On Aug 19, the Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office notified Forest Rangers about two deceased subjects in Tenant Creek, Wilcox Lake Wild Forest. Ranger Thompson and Sheriff’s Office personnel responded. New York State Police (NYSP) interviewed the reporting party and confirmed the subjects were near the third set of falls.

Ranger Thompson, Sheriff Abrams, and Deputy Sheriff Braunius hiked in and confirmed the 24-year-old from Albany and 28-year-old from Scotia were deceased. Rangers Kabrehl and Nally and Sheriff’s personnel transported litters and NYSP investigators to the scene via Ranger ATV, Sheriff’s UTV, and Wells Fire tracked ATV. The subjects were packaged and transferred to a NYSP helicopter with the assistance of Lyme Timber Company employees. NYSP investigators transferred the subjects to the County Coroner. NYSP are investigating, but indicate the cause of death is accidental drowning.

» Continue Reading.

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. In 2021, DEC Forest Rangers conducted 426 search and rescue missions, extinguished wildfires, participated in prescribed fires that served to rejuvenate hundreds of acres of land, and worked on cases that resulted in thousands of tickets or arrests.

Town of Keene
Essex County
Wilderness Rescue: On Aug. 25 at 11:15 a.m., Forest Ranger Lewis responded to a call for a hiker with a torn left quadricep and sprained right ankle near the Little Haystack Mountain summit.

» Continue Reading.

Town of Fine
St. Lawrence County
Wilderness Rescue: On Aug. 19 at 6:30 p.m., two hikers called for assistance on the Cranberry Lake 50, reporting that one of the pair was suffering from a knee injury and dehydration.

Forest Ranger Benzel responded by boat and picked up the 59-year-old from North Tonawanda.

Ranger Benzel brought the subjects back to the High Falls trailhead. The subject advised he would seek medical attention on his own. Resources were clear at 8:20 p.m.

» Continue Reading.

Town of Watson
Lewis County
Mountain Bike Accident: On Aug. 8 at 3:30 p.m., Forest Ranger Evans responded to a call for a mountain biker who suffered a concussion on the Otter Creek Horse Trail approximately one-half mile from the trailhead. When Ranger Evans reached the 54-year-old from Pennsylvania, the subject was complaining of injuries to his knees and elbows and had no memory of what happened.

The subject’s party indicated that he had hit a maple syrup line causing his ejection from the bike. Ranger Evans provided first aid and did a spinal assessment. Ranger Hanno, ECO Jarecki, and Martinsburg Fire helped transport the subject to a Lewis County Search and Rescue ambulance. Resources were clear at 5 p.m.

» Continue Reading.