17 new NYS Forest Rangers including Ethan Engel of Peru, NY
DEC Photo
DEC Photo
September 29, 2026 – DEC welcomed 17 new graduates from the 25th Basic School for New York State Forest Rangers today at a graduation ceremony in Lake Placid. The ceremony celebrated graduates from across New York State who followed extensive law enforcement and natural resources training in the classroom and in the field.
For the last six months, recruits endured strenuous training at the State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry campus in the hamlet of Wanakena and the Huntington Wildlife Forest in the town of Newcomb.
The Division of Forest Protection trained the Ranger recruits in a wide range of rescue techniques, including rope rescues, and led extensive training in wildfire suppression, prescribed burns, water rescues, and wildlife protection, among other skills. The 17 graduates will join the State’s Forest Ranger force for a total of 161 Rangers statewide.
As part of DEC’s Division of Forest Protection, New York State Forest Rangers protect natural resources and public safety and stand ready to support out-of-state emergencies, like wildfires and flooding.
Upon graduation, DEC assigns recruits to patrol areas to join the ranks of Forest Rangers currently serving across the state. In 2025, DEC Forest Rangers conducted 362 search and rescue missions, extinguished 202 wildfires covering nearly 840 acres, participated in 68 prescribed fires that served to rejuvenate 1,649 acres of land, and worked on cases that resulted in more than 1,100 tickets or arrests.
Below is the list of graduates from DEC’s 25th Basic School for Forest Rangers:
Joshua Betts – Highland, Ulster County
Jack Caulfield – Massapequa, Nassau County
Ian Dill – Morris, Otsego County
Ethan Engel – Peru, Clinton County
Tucker Griffin – Niskayuna, Schenectady County
Griffen Johnson – Rome, Oneida County
Isaac Knapp – Stanfordville, Dutchess County
Ian Lupole – Kirkwood, Broome County
Alison MacCue – Croghan, Lewis County
Kaylynn Massa – Freehold, Greene County
Brian McMahon – Spencerport, Monroe County
Jacob Owen – Allegany, Cattaraugus County
Jeremy Patnode – Chateaugay, Franklin County
Mitchell Rigano – North Chili, Monroe County
Nathan Ryan – East Greenbush, Rensselaer County
Timothy Sarno – Kinderhook, Columbia County
Samantha Severing – Livingston Manor, Sullivan County
Posted: September 30th, 2026 under Adirondack Region News, Education News, Environmental News, General News, Northern NY News, State Government News, Statewide News.