The Peru Gazette

NYS DEC News Release of Dec. 30, 2025 – 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 across New York State.

In the first half of 2025, Rangers conducted 139 search and rescue missions, extinguished 82 wildfires covering nearly 705 acres, and participated in 56 prescribed fires that rejuvenated 1,514 acres of land. In 2024, DEC Forest Rangers conducted 362 search and rescue missions, extinguished 122 wildfires covering nearly 6,500 acres, participated in 60 prescribed fires that served to rejuvenate more than 1,155 acres of land, and worked on cases that resulted in more than 1,200 tickets and arrests.

Town of Schroon 
Essex County 
Wilderness Rescue: On December 24 at 11:30 a.m., the North Hudson Fire Department called Forest Ranger Quinn to assist with an injured hiker on Crane Pond trail. The 70-year-old from Fort Edward suffered an ankle injury after a fall and activated the SOS feature on a satellite device. Ranger Quinn responded with New York State Police, Schroon Lake Fire Department, North Hudson Fire Department, and Ticonderoga Emergency Medical Services. Rescuers stabilized the injury and used Schroon Lake Fire Department’s tracked utility terrain vehicle to transport the patient to a Ticonderoga ambulance. Resources were clear at 1 p.m. 

Schroon rescue

Schroon rescue

Town of Long Lake
Hamilton County
Snowmobile Accident: On December 28 at 12:19 p.m., Ray Brook Dispatch received a call from the Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office requesting Forest Ranger assistance with a snowmobile accident off Uncas Road in Moose River Plains Wild Forest. Forest Ranger Lieutenant Arnold and Ranger Milano responded with Raquette Lake Fire Department, Raquette Lake and Inlet Emergency Medical Services, New York State Police, and Inlet Police. Rescuers found the 61-year-old from Amityville approximately 10 feet off the trail, in the woods. The snowmobiler had been ejected from the snowmobile while rounding a corner. The patient had unstable pelvis and leg injuries. Rescuers packaged the patient into Raquette Lake Fire Department’s tracked utility terrain vehicle (UTV). The UTV transported the injured snowmobiler to a nearby LifeNet helicopter that flew the patient to the hospital. Resources were clear at 1:50 p.m.

Long Lake snowmobile accident

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.

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.