The only independent, nonprofit news organization solely dedicated to reporting on the Adirondack Park.
By Mike Lynch
The number of people using the Forest Preserve in the Adirondack Park, especially in the High Peaks region, has increased dramatically in recent years, causing some people to say there is a need for more forest rangers.
New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) Forest Rangers, working with New York State Police and the Hopewell, New Jersey Police Department, are searching the Western High Peaks Wilderness for Alex Stevens, a 28-year-old male from Hopewell, New Jersey. DEC is asking anyone who may have seen Mr. Stevens or has information about his…
By Mike Lynch
A fifty-year-old hiker who drowned in the East Branch of the Ausable in late July was a military veteran who had struggled with post-traumatic-stress disorder but found outlets in horses and hiking.
By Mike Lynch
An autopsy performed August 2 determined that missing hiker Ralph "Skip" Baker drowned in the East Branch of the Ausable River. The death was ruled accidental.
By Mike Lynch
Missing hiker Ralph "Skip" Baker was found Tuesday by searchers in the East Branch of the Ausable River near the base of the Wolfjaw Mountains in the Great Range.
By Mike Lynch
The following is a statement released by the state Department of Environmental Conservation about a search-and-rescue incident that took place Monday. The incident overlapped with another rescue occurring near Gothics Mountain. On July 30, 2017 at 11:30 pm a group of four hikers on the summit of Algonquin Peak contacted DEC Ray Brook Dispatch…
By Mike Lynch
The state Department of Environmental Conservation is working on new regulations to address drone use on the Forest Preserve. Some fear the airborne devices will diminish the wild character of the Forest Preserve
By Mike Lynch
DEC is relying on education and the efforts of partner groups to deal with the increasing number of hikers who have been coming to the High Peaks region.
By Mike Lynch
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 the backcountry. In 2016, DEC Forest Rangers conducted 356 search and rescue…
By Mike Lynch
Forest rangers found a 49-year-old Saratoga County man alive but exhausted Wednesday, July 5, after he spent two unplanned nights in the woods after getting lost near the summit of Nippletop Mountain.