Times Herald-Record - My View: Increase our forest ranger corps
Monday, October 13, 2014PBA Secretary and Forest Ranger Captains Director Drew Cavanagh wrote an op-ed piece, which advocates for increases in Forest Ranger staffing around the state, that was published in the Middletown Times Herald Record on Sunday, October 12, 2014. The PBA of NYS Law Enforcement takes a multifaceted approach to representing our members and a strong effort in the media and other public relations outlets is an important part of that. Please post a comment on line supporting Drew’s urging to increase staffing and hold more frequent joint Environmental Conservation Officer/Forest Ranger academies. Thank you for your support.
Last month, state officials and local leaders from Greene County wrote to the state Department of Environmental Conservation to call attention to the recent tragedies at Kaaterskill Falls.
Sadly, two women fell to their deaths this summer while hiking near the falls.
The DEC heard their call and plans several improvements, including better signage and barriers, increasing rescue training, and improving communications systems and protocols to reduce response times.
In their letter, state Sen. Cecilia Tkaczyk, D-Duanesburg, and Assemblyman Peter Lopez, R-Schoharie, also asked DEC Commissioner Joe Martens to increase the number of forest rangers who safeguard our public lands and educate hikers.
The PBA of NYS, which represents the state’s forest rangers, agrees.
The presence of forest rangers cannot guarantee an accident-free forest preserve. But their presence ensures the public will be educated regarding safety, authorized land use, proper apparel and equipment, and avoiding dangerous situations.
Most importantly, the presence of forest rangers will help ensure that when lives and resources are in danger, trained professionals skilled in wilderness search-and-rescue are ready to help.
The DEC’s commitment must be sincere, however, because low funding and mid-year budget crunches - which are a regular concern among the state forest rangers - could threaten programs, services and personnel levels this year.
In 1970, the state employed 118 forest rangers to patrol nearly 3.6 million acres of publicly owned lands, including camps, trails and wilderness. Forty-three years later, in 2013, the state employed 106 forest rangers responsible for protecting more than 5 million acres. They now patrol additional forest preserves, 750,000 acres of conservation easements and 43 DEC campgrounds.
It’s a problem – one that the PBA of NYS is addressing with colleagues, environmental stewards and DEC administrators.
Forest rangers are now trained and equipped as police officers, firefighters, EMTs, back country rescue specialists and environmental educators. They also are called to service in other states; forest rangers spent time this summer in western states, where they helped fight major wildfires.
In 2013, state forest rangers conducted 171 searches for lost hikers, children and senior citizens, and 105 rescue missions for people injured in the wilderness. While patrolling public lands, they walked thousands of miles on trails, paddled rivers and lakes, and made sure that the public was protected.
Under-funding and austerity have become more than temporary measures to get our state through tough times. They have gone on with such regularity that the ability to respond to calls in a timely manner is constantly threatened.
Managers are faced with tough decisions about which vital equipment to buy and what to forgo until finances are more secure. Recently, DEC management announced that without additional funding, it will be unable to fund both the Forest Ranger and Assistant Forest Ranger programs next year.
Staffing issues are particularly severe in the Catskills where, in addition to all of their other responsibilities, forest rangers now patrol and safeguard more than 50,000 acres of lands surrounding New York City’s watershed. Within a year, 20 percent of forest rangers and regional forest rangers assigned to the Catskills plan to retire.
The PBA believes solutions could be reached if the state agreed to create additional forest ranger positions, regularly fund joint Environmental Conservation Officer/Forest Ranger Academies, and make permanent adjustments in the state budget process to ensure financial resources are available for equipment and staffing within the division.
There is a need for better public protection and education at Kaaterskill Falls, along with increased state forest ranger staffing. Elected local and state officials, as well as DEC administrators, should be commended for putting the safety of New Yorkers first.
Drew Cavanagh is secretary of the PBA of NYS and director of the Forest Ranger Superior Officers Association.
