Rangers pitch in with storm clean up at Moffitt Beach

The following are recent forest ranger highlights provided by the state Department of Environmental Conservation.

Town of Lake Pleasant
Hamilton County
Storm Damage Response: On June 21, Forest Rangers Nally, Thompson, and Kerr responded to a call for Forest Ranger assistance from the caretaker at Moffitt Beach State Campground. The caretaker reported several impassable roadways, downed trees and phone lines, and power outages in the area.

Rangers helped clear storm damage in and around the campground and assisted local fire departments, the Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office, and highway officials with localized storm impacts.

Rangers, working through Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office Dispatch, also responded to 911 calls, supplementing local resources. Rangers checked on campers at undeveloped and isolated State Land campsites in areas without cell service. On Powley Road in the town of Stratford, Ranger Thompson discovered the road impassable. The Ranger began cutting his way down the road where he made contact and assisted stranded campers.

Town of Keene
Essex County
State Land Violations: On June 23 at 12 p.m., DEC’s Ray Brook Dispatch was notified of a ground fire at an illegal campsite near the Wash Bowl in the Giant Mountain Wilderness Area. Forest Ranger Evans and Assistant Ranger Raudonis responded to the scene and put out the small ground fire. Later that evening, Forest Ranger Mecus identified two subjects from Otego as the subjects responsible for the illegal campsite, and the Ranger issued six tickets for multiple State Land violations.

Town of Keene
Essex County
Wilderness Rescue: On June 23 at 9 p.m., DEC’s Ray Brook Dispatch received a call from a hiker reporting his companion was experiencing dehydration on the summit of Mount Marcy. Forest Rangers Evans and Praczkajlo located the hikers at 12:33 a.m. After conducting an assessment and giving the pair food, the Rangers assisted the hikers from Geneseo and Rochester to the trailhead at the Adirondak Loj, arriving at 5:12 a.m.

Town of Hadley
Saratoga County
Swiftwater Rescue Training: On June 24, Forest Rangers from Regions 4 and 5 participated in swiftwater rescue training on the Sacandaga River. Rangers learned about self-rescue swimming, wading with belay assist, go-rescue, and “throw bag” techniques.

Whitewater Training: On June 25, Forest Ranger Lomnitzer organized the annual New York State licensed guide whitewater raft training, in this case an American Canoe Association L4 workshop with five stations. Skills covered in the training included knots/mechanical advantage, wading, throwbags, rescue swimming, and go-rescue. Thirty-three guides participated in the training and shared positive feedback with their trainers.

Town of Stony Creek
Warren County
Wilderness Search: On June 24 at 2:45 p.m., DEC’s Ray Brook Dispatch was contacted by a 50-year-old man who became disoriented while hiking on West Stony Creek Road. Forest Rangers Savarie and Donegan responded to assist. At 4:17 p.m., Ranger Donegan located the hiker from Stony Creek and escorted the subject out of the woods. At 4:49 p.m., Ranger Donegan and the hiker were out of the woods and clear of the scene.

Town of Croghan
Lewis County
ATV Accident: On June 25 at 6:18 p.m., Forest Ranger Hanno advised that while on routine patrol, he witnessed an ATV accident in the Frank E. Jadwin Memorial State Forest. A 57-year-old man from Pahrump, Nevada, was operating the ATV, pulling a trailer with two 14-year-old girls from Liverpool inside when the driver lost control of the vehicle. The accident caused the trailer to disconnect from the ATV and roll over. Ranger Hanno assessed the two young passengers in the trailer and determined one subject had injured her arm and the other was exhibiting signs of a traumatic brain injury (TBI) and a wrist injury. Ranger Hanno stabilized the subject with the suspected TBI and contacted Lewis County 911 for EMS response. Both girls were wearing helmets, or their injuries could have been much worse. Once Lewis County Search and Rescue was on scene, the subjects were loaded into the ambulance for transport to a local hospital and the young person exhibiting TBI symptoms was later airlifted to a hospital in Syracuse. All resources were clear of the scene at 11:15 p.m. Several citations were issued.