The New York DEC Commissioner has announced upcoming academies for the newest classes of Forest Rangers and Environmental Conservation Police Officers (ECO’s). The 6-month training academies will prepare 58 of DEC’s newest recruits for careers protecting New York’s natural resources in the Divisions of Forest Protection and Law Enforcement.

The Forest Ranger training has started on May 19 at the State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry in the hamlet of Wanaena, NY.

The ECO training begins June 2nd at the Palaski Academy which has served as the home for these trainings for the last several academies.

ECO job duties are centered on the 71 chapters of New York State Environmental Conservation Law and range from deer poaching to solid waste dumping, illegal mining, the black market per trade, and emissions violations. In 2023 ECO’s and investigators across the state responded to nearly 31,000 calls and worked on cases that resulted in nearly 16,900 tickets or arrests.

In many ways ECO’s are the guardians of our environment, enforcing New York’s stringent environmental conservation laws protecting our air, water, fish and wildlife. 

Forest Ranger duties focus on the public’s use of DEC administered state lands and easements and can span from patrolling state properties to conducting search-and-rescue operations to fighting wildland fires.  In 2023 DEC Forest Rangers conducted 370 search and rescue missions, extinguished 146 wildfires, participated in 52 prescribed fires that served to rejuvenate more than 1000 acres and worked on cases that resulted in hundreds of tickets or arrests.

Forest Rangers are among the most prepared wilderness professionals in the country, patrolling more than 5 million acres of land. They respond to rescue calls at all hours of the day or night and stand ready to extinguish wildfires wherever they are burning. Forest Rangers do all this, plus law enforcement, all while protecting New York’s natural resources.

ECO’s and Forest Rangers are full-fledged New York State Police Officers, often called upon to support critical police deployments. Forest Rangers and ECO’s were among the first responders on the scene to help in the aftermath of September 11, 2001, assisted in the response to Superstorm Sandy, helped in the 2015 search for 2 escape felons from the Clinton Correction Facility in Dannemora, supported New York’s statewide respond to COVID-19 at testing and vaccination sites and have traveled to battle wildfires in western states and Canada.

ECO’s originally called game protectors, were first appointed for service in 1880.  The first Forest Rangers, originally known as fire wardens were put into service in 1885 when the New York State legislature established the Forest Preserve of New York State. 

Idaho Passes Pro-Gun Bills

The state of Idaho passed three pro-Second Amendment bills in March, and all were quickly signed by Governor Brad Little. One bill prohibits private groups from restricting the lawful carry of firearms on public property, with certain specific exceptions. Another bill prohibits public contracts with individuals or companies that are boycotting certain industries, including the firearms industry. The 3rd bill creates a Gadsden flag “Don’t Tread on Me” license plate, with revenue generated from the specialty plate funding a great program for firearms safety training in schools.