DEC Forest Rangers - Week in Review

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.           

During the first six months of 2026, Forest Rangers conducted 126 search and rescue missions, extinguished 65 wildfires covering more than 215 acres, and participated in 54 prescribed fires that served to rejuvenate 1,355 acres of land.  In 2025, DEC Forest Rangers conducted 362 search and rescue missions, extinguished 202 wildfires covering 840 acres, participated in 68 prescribed fires that served to rejuvenate 1,649 acres of land, and worked on cases that resulted in more than 1,100 tickets and arrests. Also in 2025, 41 Forest Rangers were deployed to fire assignments in 10 different states.  

“Our Forest Rangers are elite law enforcement leaders who put their lives on the line when they respond to a search and rescue, wildland fire, or State land violation,” DEC Commissioner Amanda Lefton said. “We’re fortunate to have them patrolling State lands and keeping people safe. Their expertise and professionalism are valuable assets, not only in New York, but around the country wherever emergencies arise.”     

Town of Ticonderoga 
Essex County 
Wilderness Search: On September 4 at 4 p.m., Ray Brook Dispatch received a call about two overdue hikers in the Pharoah Lake Wilderness. Forest Rangers located the subjects’ vehicle at the Grizzle Ocean Trailhead. At 7:56 p.m., Rangers Bode and Quinn and Assistant Forest Ranger Pervu located the 35-year-old and 43-year-old from Leroy and hiked them out to the trailhead. 
 
Town of Santa Clara 
Franklin County 
Camp Disturbance: On September 4 at 8:39 p.m., Ray Brook Dispatch received a call from Fish Creek Campground about an aggressive person smashing a truck with a sledgehammer. Forest Rangers Foutch and Odell responded, along with New York State Police (NYSP). At 9:36 p.m., Ranger Foutch and NYSP disarmed the subject. NYSP interviewed the subject and determined there were no arrestable offenses, since the damage was done to the subject’s own vehicle. Family members picked up the camper. The incident was clear at 12:24 a.m. 
 
Town of Wells 
Hamilton County 
Wilderness Rescue: On September 5 at 1:30 a.m., Ray Brook Dispatch received a call from Garmin about a hiker feeling ill who passed out once. The subject was at the Mud Lake lean-to in Silver Lakes Wilderness Area. Forest Rangers Milano and Nally reached the 36-year-old, completed a patient assessment, and provided food, water, and electrolytes. The patient was able to hike under their own power. Rangers assisted the subject back to the trailhead. The incident was clear at 7:50 a.m. 

Town of Newcomb 
Essex County 
Wilderness Rescue: On September 5 at 7:45 a.m., Ray Brook Dispatch received a call reporting a 70-year-old hiker overdue from Cliff and Redfield mountains. The hiker from Illinois was planning to camp at Lake Colden after finishing the two mountains, but satellite coordinates the night before placed the subject near the summit of Cliff Mountain. At 9:49 a.m., Forest Ranger Ezumah made contact with the hiker and determined they were lost near the Cliff Mountain summit. At 11:58 a.m., Lake Colden Caretaker Raudonis and Rangers Jansen and Savarie located the hiker and provided food and water. At 5:27 p.m., they made it to the Herbert Brook lean-to. The hiker needed rest before continuing. At 1:18 p.m. the next day, Caretaker Radounis escorted the hiker out of the woods to the trailhead. The incident was clear at 2:50 p.m. 
 
Town of North Elba 
Essex County 
Wilderness Search: On September 5 at 10:03 a.m., Forest Ranger Jeffery and Assistant Forest Ranger (AFR) Hodgson responded to a call for a lost hiker off the Marcy Dam Trail. The subject’s son was hiking Mount Marcy and the subject planned to get a little exercise and stop half a mile before the Algonquin Mountain Junction. While seeking privacy for a bathroom break, the subject lost the trail and walked for an hour before contacting their spouse for help. Ranger Jeffery requested the subject call 911 so they could get updated coordinates. Those coordinates placed the subject approximately half a mile east of the ski trail towards Marcy Brook. Ranger Jeffery and AFR Hodgson located the hiker and reached the trailhead at 11:05 a.m. 
 
Village of Fort Ann 
Washington County 
Rescue: On September 6 at 12:09 p.m., while on patrol at Sleeping Beauty Mountain, Forest Ranger Peterson responded to a call not far from his patrol area for a subject suffering an allergic reaction. Ranger Peterson located the 25-year-old from Colorado, completed a patient assessment, and assisted them to a West Fort Ann Ambulance. The subject decided to seek further medical attention on their own. The incident was clear at 1:45 p.m. 
 
Town of North Elba 
Essex County 
Wilderness Rescue: On September 6 at 4:26 p.m., Ray Brook Dispatch received a call for a hiker who fell and hit their head while hiking Haystack Mountain. The subject had previous medical issues and was bleeding from the face. Once Rangers made contact, they determined a hoist rescue was the safest and quickest option. New York State Police Pilot Sergeant Beck flew Forest Ranger Lewis to the scene. Rangers on the ground harnessed the subject, and Ranger Lewis pulled the 56-year-old from Black River into the helicopter. Sergeant Beck flew the patient to the hospital and the incident was clear at 6 p.m. Video of the rescue from inside the helicopter is available to download. 

Town of North Hudson 
Essex County 
Wilderness Search: On September 6 at 9 p.m., five Forest Rangers responded to a call for an overdue hiker in the Dix Range. The 53-year-old from Clinton Corners texted coordinates to their sister, placing the subject moving toward East Dix and Route 73. Rangers located the hiker on the north fork of the Boquet Trail. The subject’s headlamp died, so they were using their phone for both light and navigation. Rangers Corey and Lewis provided a head lamp and walked them to the trailhead. The incident was clear at 11:28 p.m. 
 

Rangers suggest bringing more than one headlamp and extra batteries, as well as a map and compass, along with the rest of the ten hiking essentials. 
 
Town of Keene 
Essex County 
Wilderness Search: On September 7 at 12:37 a.m., the same five Forest Rangers who responded to the Dix Range search responded to a call for two hikers reported overdue by a friend. The hikers were planning to hike Mount Marcy but their last known location at 7:42 p.m. was near Little Haystack Mountain. The hikers had never hiked in the Adirondacks before, did not have headlamps, were out of food, and didn’t have warm clothing. At 5:29 a.m., Rangers Corey and Quinn located the 20-year-olds from Michigan and hiked them to the trailhead. The incident was clear at 8:18 a.m. 

Be sure to properly prepare and plan before entering the backcountry. Visit DEC’s “Hike Smart NY,” “Adirondack Backcountry,” 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, 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.