February Newsletter 2025

OUR NYS DEC RANGERS

We are all well aware of the importance of our New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) Rangers. Outdoor recreationists depend on their training and expertise for trail guidance, conditions reports, public information sessions, and of course, rescues.

Mission: Their mission is to provide public safety and state land protection through expertise in wildland search, rescue, fire, and law enforcement throughout New York. Their DEC Division protects five million acres of state-owned, department-managed lands and easements, as well as the people who use these lands. For more than 100 years, New York State Forest Rangers have extinguished wildfires, found and rescued the lost and injured, and enforced state land use and wildfire prevention laws. Over three million acres of lands and easements managed by DEC are in the Adirondack Park, but every region has substantial state land resources that require oversight and protection.

New York State has 153 forest rangers throughout the state with most located in the Adirondack and Catskill Parks. Each ranger has a geographic territory in which they live and are responsible for the preservation, protection, and enhancement of the state's forest resources as well as the safety and well-being of the public using these resources.

Stats: 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. They earn praise from their superiors and from the Governor for their heroic work keeping New Yorkers and visitors safe in some of the most adverse conditions in the world, and for leading the state’s response to emergency situations.

A ranger is equal parts police officer, fire fighter, and schoolteacher. Forest Rangers are sworn Police Officers authorized to enforce all state laws, with special emphasis on Environmental Conservation Law, the protection of state lands, and the public using state lands. Every Forest Ranger must successfully complete a rigorous 26-week Basic Training School before being assigned to a geographic area. They have the authority to direct search and rescue missions as well as provide training and support to other agencies that do the same. No matter the weather they patrol their assigned areas by vehicle, boat, ATV, snowmobile, aircraft, bicycle, foot, skis, or snowshoes.

Wildland fire management, including prevention and suppression, has been a traditional role of the Forest Rangers job. Today's Ranger is responsible for planning forest fire suppression activities and supervising wildland firefighting forces. Rangers provide training to volunteers and local fire departments in wildland firefighting techniques. Each Ranger is trained and equipped for immediate response to outbreaks of wildfires.

**Rope rescue, Haines Falls, DEC file photo**

Rescues: Rescue training absorbs a lot of a ranger’s time, whether it’s learning how to handle ropes, boats, or helicopter hoists. Search and rescue missions consist of organizing search operations and searching for lost persons, downed civilian aircraft, and rescue operations for persons injured or in serious danger of injury in wild and remote areas. These operations often lead Rangers into remote wilderness areas, from the rugged mountainous peaks of the Adirondacks to low lying river valleys. Their knowledge of advanced first aid, land navigation, and rope rescue techniques are often critical to the success of a mission. They have to have good land navigation skills since they are often wayfinding in the back country wilderness alone.

But finding people in the woods is what rangers do best. A scuffed root, a bent twig, a patch of moss scraped off a boulder—nothing escapes a ranger’s notice when they’re on a search. Rangers have been called “the thin green line” that separates the manmade and natural worlds. In the Adirondack Park, the largest state park in America, 54 rangers (from two North Country regions) are responsible for 2.6 million acres of mostly remote, rugged terrain. Those rangers are also responsible for safeguarding 12.4 million annual visitors to the Adirondacks, most of whom have probably never touched a paper map. Over the past decade, rangers have recovered the bodies of 86 people who died in the Adirondack region, while also conducting searches and rescues for thousands more. Recently 59 rangers conducted a multi-day search in severe winter conditions to try to locate a lost solo hiker on Allen. They risk their lives every day for the safety of others.

**Rangers and others carry injured hiker out of woods. DEC file photo.**

Our Local Taconic Ridge Ranger:

The Ranger responsible for the NY side of the Taconics is NYS Forest Ranger Steve Jackson. We are so lucky to be under his umbrella of care for the Taconic Crest Trail, which he patrols frequently for downed trees, illegal motor vehicle use, timber theft, and boundary encroachment.

We asked him three questions about his job, and he was kind enough to take the time to answer.

What motivated you to become a Ranger? “I’ve always had a love for the outdoors. I grew up locally and remember hiking to the snow hole often as a kid which only grew my love for the outdoors. I actually wanted to be a biologist and law enforcement like ENCON was always a backup plan for me. I got a degree from SUNY Cobleskill in wildlife management. My first job out of college was working at the Albany Pine Bush where I got fire trained and started helping on prescribed fires throughout the Northeast. I also had some exposure to wildfire where I got to meet Forest Rangers and see what they do firsthand. I saw the passion and dedication they had to not just the job but the outdoors. The Forest Ranger job was not a backup plan at that point, and I pushed myself to get this job.”

**Prescribed burn, Albany Pine Bush. DEC file photo**

What do you love the most about it? “Everyday is something new on this job. I take pride in being able to protect our states natural resources such as the Taconic Ridge where I grew up hiking as a kid. There is no greater sense of purpose or duty than returning someone lost or missing to their family or being able to rescue someone having a really bad day in the backcountry. To put out a fire that is threatening peoples homes or lives. And it doesn’t happen just here on the Taconic Ridge or Rensselaer County, which is my assigned patrol area. I love that I can travel throughout the state to assist on emergencies or incidents. Because of our unique skill sets, we also travel out of state to assist with emergencies, such as wildfires out west, or flood or hurricane responses down south. Just this past year I spent two weeks fighting wildfires in Montana.”

What is the most challenging part of your job? “To me the most challenging part of the job is just keeping up with our skill sets. We really are a Swiss army knife for the state and we have many skill sets that we need to be proficient in to be a useful Ranger. We need to train regularly to stay on our game and remain prepared for anything that we may have to deal with. A lot of that comes with managing people as well, which can be a very intimidating thing. We manage incidents through the incident command system (ICS) and a lot of times, especially at the early stages of an incident, we have to herd the cats so to speak to get the incident organized to produce a positive outcome. Another challenging part of our job that is often overlooked is mental health. There are a lot of things that we see as Rangers that no one is ever prepared for. That’s of course on top of working long hours away from family, depending on the incident. A Forest Ranger must balance family and work as well as having positive outlets to deal with the stress and physical nature of some of the incidents.

When all is said and done, you’ll never meet a Forest Ranger that doesn’t love their job. We take a lot of pride in our job and recognize how unique it is. You’ll never see our Rangers transferring to another agency or department. We protect others in the backcountry, often putting ourselves in harm’s way, because we have the equipment and training to do so, and every Forest Ranger on the job would not hesitate to answer the call.”

**Flat ice rescue training, part of Rangers keeping their skill sets up to date. DEC file photo**

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 (1-833-697-7264). If a person needs urgent assistance, they can call 911. If you want to see what’s going on week by week, subscribe to DEC’s “Forest Rangers Week in Review.” There you can learn about recent rescues, training exercises, and public information sessions.

If you meet Steve or another Ranger on a trail or in the woods, take the time to thank them for all the help they provide day in and day out.

RENEW YOUR MEMBERSHIP now for 2025, click here Membership — Taconic Hiking Club to pay on-line or by mail. If you have already renewed in the past 3- 4 months - THANK YOU!

SPRING GATHERING - 2025

Save the date! Our Spring Gathering will be at Grafton Lakes State Park on Sunday, June 1. We have the Deer Field Pavilion reserved for the day. There are great hiking and paddling opportunities as well as time to socialize! More details to follow.

OUTINGS: Refer to the THC website outings page for details about the outings and how to register. We schedule on a monthly and short-term basis, so check the website periodically.

Tuesday, February 4: Grafton Lake State Park – Dixon Fire Tower B/B-
Tuesday February 11: Bond & Bozen Kill Preserves - Altamont C
Sunday, February 16: Greylock B+

QUOTE: “Sunshine is delicious, rain is refreshing, wind braces us up, snow is exhilarating; there is really no such thing as bad weather, only different kinds of good weather.” —John Ruskin

**View of the Taconic Crest showing the trail in the middle and land drop off on both sides. pic by M Waldman**

**“Upper” beaver pond, VFCF, pic by M Waldman**

**Valentino Family Community Forest, pic by M Waldman**

**Lower Beaver Pond, VFCF, pic by M Waldman**

NewsletterMartha WaldmanJanuary 31, 2025February 2025