Go Rangers!

Each year, thousands of people travel to the Adirondacks for the purposes of outdoor recreation. Despite the inherent danger of hiking, canoeing, rock climbing, etc., there have only been a few deaths in the Adirondacks as a result of these activities in recent memory. However, the actions taken to prevent deaths and to keep the park safe are often overlooked. The people who are responsible for the safety of recreationists in the Adirondacks are forest rangers. There are only 43 rangers responsible for monitoring all 6.1 million acres of the Adirondack Park. Though this may seem like a low number, there are fewer than 150 forest rangers throughout New York State, meaning that almost 30 percent of all the rangers in the state are stationed in the Adirondacks.

            A typical day for a forest ranger in the Adirondacks can involve anything from checking hunters’ licenses to maintaining trails. The three main responsibilities of these rangers are search and rescues, wildfire prevention and support, and service as a public land steward.  The defining factor of a forest ranger’s job however, lies in the constant possibility of emergency action. At any point during a ranger’s workday, he or she may be tasked with helping an injured visitor, or in some cases, saving someone’s life. Rescues can range from simply finding a lost hiker, to helping someone who is injured down a mountain so they can receive medical attention. The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation reported that in 2014, New York State forest rangers carried out 164 search missions, 100 rescues, and 9 recoveries. In addition to their everyday responsibilities, these emergencies keep forest rangers quite busy.

            Each emergency requires a different plan of action. Forest rangers face many different situations for which there are no set protocols, so when a ranger responds to an emergency, he or she must create a unique plan of action. A ranger must consider the weather, time of day, and location among other variables when determining a plan of action. Despite the myriad obstacles rangers face in emergency situations, their success rate is incredibly high. Without their help, the Adirondacks would be far less safe, and likely a less popular option for outdoor recreation. Though many people may not even know that forest rangers exist, they continually work hard, both as stewards of the land and as protectors of the visitors. So next time you are in the Adirondacks, think about those who play an instrumental, though often overlooked, role in keeping the park a fun and safe place.

Sources

http://www.pressconnects.com/story/news/2015/11/13/adirondacks-rescuers-must-ready-anything/75737346/