New York State Department of Environmental Conservation Forest Rangers respond to search and rescue incidents throughout New York State. 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.
What follows is a report, prepared by DEC, of recent missions carried out by Forest Rangers.
Essex County
Town of Keene
Wilderness Rescue: On July 25th at 12:58 pm, Ray Brook Dispatch requested Forest Ranger assistance with a hiker who suffered a knee injury while hiking down the Hurricane Mountain trail with their spouse and dog. Ranger Lewis reached the 53-year-old from Hamilton and splinted their knee, but the subject could not put any weight on it. Ranger Lewis was joined by Rangers Balerno, Black, Burns, Curcio, Martin, Mecus, and O’Connor to assist with the carry-out. Rangers used backpack carriers for the steep, rocky section of the trail before switching to a wheeled litter. Rangers transported the hiker via ATV for the final mile to the trailhead. The subject went to Elizabethtown Hospital for further medical attention. Resources were clear at 7 pm.
Town of Keene
Wilderness Rescue: On July 29th at 9:25 pm, Ray Brook Dispatch received a radio call from Johns Brook Lodge requesting assistance with a hiker who suffered a dental injury while hiking in the Johns Brook Valley. Forest Rangers Curcio and O’Connor responded. Ranger O’Connor reached the 72-year-old from Williamsville at 11:30 pm. The subject had hit her face on a rock, and was experiencing significant jaw swelling and teeth damage, and could not close her mouth. Due to exhaustion, the subject could not safely hold onto an ATV, so Rangers stayed with her at the outpost through the night. At 7:30 am, Rangers walked the subject back to the Garden trailhead where she advised she would take herself to the emergency room.
Town of North Elba
Wilderness Rescue: On July 31st at 10:10 am, Ray Brook Dispatch requested Forest Ranger assistance with a hiker complaining of chest pains on the Northville-Placid trail. Rangers Curcio and DiCintio worked with NYSP Aviation on a hoist operation at the lean-to near the pond. At 1 pm, Ranger Curcio hoisted down to the 52-year-old from Rexford and safely put the hiker into a helicopter to bring him to the hospital.
Franklin County
Village of Tupper Lake
Homicide Investigation: On July 28th at 1 pm, Forest Ranger Lieutenant LaPierre, Rangers Curcio, DiCintio, and Praczkajlo, and DEC Environmental Conservation Police Officers (ECOs) Buffa and Favreau joined New York State Police (NYSP) in the search for a murder suspect after a stabbing in Tupper Lake. At 2:30 pm, Rangers DiCintio and Praczkajlo located the suspect, 26-year-old Alexa Gallagher, who was taken into custody by NYSP. Gallagher is charged with second degree murder in the death of 51-year-old Melissa Guisewhite of Tupper Lake.
Herkimer County
Town of Ohio
Wilderness Rescue: On July 29th at 6:15 pm, Forest Ranger Bills began searching for a 47-year-old man and four children, ages five, eight, nine, and 12, last seen at 11:30 am by relatives at North Lake. The person who reported the group was overdue claimed the man may be intoxicated and looking for the Ice Cave Mountain trail. The children were wearing shorts and t-shirts and did not have food or water. By 9:30 pm, five additional Rangers joined the search. The search area had no cell service, poor radio coverage, and posed many hazards even for experienced hikers. By 2:30 am, Rangers were joined by State Police and NYSP K-9. Search crews spent the night looking at Ice Cave Mountain, Golden Stair Mountain, multiple logging trails, drainages, and swamps with negative results. Six additional Rangers and four members of the NYSP Special Operations Rescue Team (SORT) began searching at 5:50 am. Ranger Evans sent two SORT members to search north of Golden Stair Mountain and at 9 am, they found the group in a drainage. The temperature had dropped to 47 degrees overnight, and the children were cold and hungry. Local EMS checked out the group and reunited the children with relatives. The man was taken in by police for questioning.
Warren County
Town of Hague
Water Rescue: On July 31st, at 12:30 pm, Forest Rangers Kabrehl and Perryman, and Assistant Forest Ranger Haker were on boat patrol on Lake George and overheard Warren County 911 dispatching a Lake George Park Commission (LGPC) Officer to the scene of a boat stranded on the rocks on Anthony’s Nose. The small boat, occupied by two anglers, had washed ashore due to the wake of a large cabin cruiser. Ranger Kabrehl climbed onto the stranded boat and helped the two anglers into the LGPC boat, which took them to the Mossy Point Boat Launch. The boat was removed later that evening.
Read past Forest Ranger search and rescue reports here.
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