The Peru Gazette

Town of Piercefield, St. Lawrence County
Wilderness Rescue: On July 13 at 1:19 p.m., Forest Rangers responded to a call for a subject who collapsed on the Mount Arab trail in Horseshoe Lake Wild Forest. Forest Ranger Shea and Tupper Lake EMS hiked in and located the 75-year-old from Honeoye Falls approximately half a mile up the trail. The hiker was conscious but could not walk and had trouble speaking. Due to the hiker’s condition and location, New York State Police (NYSP) Aviation responded. NYSP Pilot Sergeant Beck flew Rangers Martin and Savarie to the location. Ranger Savarie lowered Ranger Martin to assist harnessing the patient. Ranger Savarie successfully hoisted the subject into the helicopter. Sergeant Beck flew to a nearby landing zone, where the patient was transferred to a Tupper Lake Ambulance. Resources were clear at 3:20 p.m.

Town of Keene, Essex County
Wildland Fire: On July 13 at 2:10 p.m., Ray Brook Dispatch received a report of smoke on Sawteeth Mountain. Six Forest Rangers responded to the fire at Marble Point lookout. The fire is approximately 3,549 feet in elevation and measuring approximately 0.25 acres. Rangers worked with New York State Police Aviation in the coming days. The fire continues to smolder in the ground, Rangers are patrolling it daily. 

Town of Great Valley, Cattaraugus County 
Law Enforcement: On July 13, while training on State Land, Forest Rangers observed two people on an ATV and a dirt bike, riding without helmets. Rangers tried to stop them, but both subjects pulled off into the woods and ran off. Rangers tracked them to their residence and issued 12 tickets for observed violations.

Town of Harrietstown, Franklin County
Plane Crash: On July 13 at 11:40 p.m., Forest Ranger Adams responded to assist Saranac Lake Fire Department with the search for a possible downed civilian aircraft near the Lake Clear Airport. On July 14 at 2:25 a.m., they located the plane on private property adjacent to the Adirondack Rail Trail between Route 186 and McMaster Road. They found three people, ages 70, 33, and 2, deceased. Six Rangers assisted New York State Police (NYSP) with the recovery and carryout of the crash victims. NYSP, the Federal Aviation Administration, and the National Transportation Safety Board are investigating.

The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation offers condolences to the family.

Town of Waverly, Franklin County
Wilderness Search: On July 14 at 1:18 a.m., Forest Rangers Holdridge, Russell, and Savarie responded to St. Regis Falls for a report of someone yelling for help on the St. Regis River. The 31-year-old from Santa Clara went fishing the previous morning, got lost, and walked approximately two miles downstream. As the sun began to set, the subject tried to go uphill towards their residence, but couldn’t see due to darkness and thick vegetation, so they started calling for help. At 12:30 a.m., the roommate heard the calls and called 911. As Rangers searched, members of the St. Regis Falls Fire Department located the subject and assisted them to the roadway, where they were evaluated by EMS and then returned home. Dickinson Fire Department was also part of the search. Resources were clear at 3:55 a.m.

Town of Clifton, St. Lawrence County
Wilderness Rescue: On July 14 at 11:45 a.m., St. Lawrence County 911 received a call about a subject who suffered a leg injury while climbing off a large boulder near the summit of Bear Mountain. Cranberry Lake Rescue and Star Lake Rescue hiked to the patient and treated the 37-year-old from Olive for an ankle injury. At 2:03 p.m., Ranger Benzel and additional volunteers used a wheeled litter to transport the patient to the Bear Mountain trailhead parking lot. They turned over the patient to a Cranberry Lake Rescue ambulance. Resources were clear at 4:05 p.m.

Town of Blenheim, Schoharie County
Law Enforcement: On July 16, while on routine patrol, a Forest Ranger and Schoharie County Sheriff’s Deputy checked a campsite on Burnt-Rossman Hills State Forest occupied by four individuals. One of the individuals was wanted on an active warrant from University Police at SUNY Cobleskill. The Sheriff’s Deputy took the subject into custody. The remaining occupants left the campsite.

Town of Stony Creek, Warren County
Wildland Fire: On July 16 at 7 p.m., the Warren County Sheriff’s Office requested Forest Ranger assistance with a brush fire that started as a structure fire on Warrensburg Road.  Three Rangers assisted the Chestertown, Garner Lake, Horicon, Johnsburg, North River, Pottersville, Riverside, and Stony Creek Fire Departments. By 2 a.m., fire crews contained the 1.6-acre-fire.

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, 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.