From NYS Department of Environmental Conservation’s weekly forest ranger report:
Town of Keene, Essex County
Operations Assistance: On March 13, DEC Operations staff were joined by Forest Rangers to bring a new cooking stove to the Lake Colden Outpost. The outpost is used by rangers in the High Peaks Wilderness Area for shelter and warmth during remote search and rescue operations and is staffed by DEC Operations.
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Town of Westport, Essex County
Wilderness Search: On March 14 at 2 p.m., Forest Rangers responded to a New York State Police (NYSP) search for a male subject wanted for a parole violation in Vermont. Search crews located the subject’s car on a snowmobile trail. At 6:45 p.m., NYSP completed an aerial search with negative results. Rangers and Environmental Conservation Police Officers (ECOs) assisted with linear searches near the subject’s vehicle. The following day, search crews focused on recent tracks. A total of 18 Rangers and nine ECOs, including one K9, joined NYSP, Sheriff’s Deputies, and U.S. Customs and Border Protection Aviation in the search from the air and the ground. At 1:37 p.m., a Sheriff’s Deputy and NYSP took the 48-year-old into custody.
Town of North Elba, Essex County
Wilderness Rescue: On March 15 at 6:37 p.m., Ray Brook Dispatch transferred a call to Forest Ranger O’Connor from two hikers on Whiteface Landing complaining of loss of feeling in their feet. Ranger O’Connor advised the hikers to continue moving one-half mile toward Lake Placid. Rangers O’Connor and Praczkajlo met the hikers there, provided feet warmers, and assisted them back to their vehicle. The 22-year-olds from Oswego and Martville were wearing cotton socks and were sinking their legs deeply into fresh, unpacked snow, creating a hole (or “post-hole”) behind them as they walked without snowshoes, leading to cold feet. Rangers suggest hikers avoid any cotton clothing because it absorbs moisture and can advance frostbite. They also suggest using gaiters to prevent snow from getting into boots.
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A plea to hikers: don’t post-hole
Top photo: Rangers brought a new stove to the Lake Colden Outpost. Photo provided by the DEC.
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.
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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: http://on.ny.gov/NYSForestRangerRoster
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