News from New York State Department of Environmental Conservation

For more information contact: Lori O'Connell, 518-402-8000

Media Advisory

ALBANY, NY (07/29/2008; 1004)(readMedia)-- New York forest rangers and other Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) personnel are scheduled to return home following a 16 day combat effort against raging wildfires at the Los Padres National Forest in Big Sur, California.

There will be a media opportunity to speak to the 20-member crew at the DEC staging area:

1. Tuesday, July 29
2. **TIME CHANGE** 1:30 p.m.
3. Saratoga Fire Cache/Saratoga Tree Nursery
4. Rt. 50 (south of Saratoga State Park)
5. Saratoga Springs, NY

Besides rangers, the crew will include personnel from DEC's lands and forests, operations and pesticides programs. They left on July 11.

• The DEC personnel dispatched to the fire are:
  
  
  *Crew Boss: Forest Ranger David Kallen, Northville, NY
  Squad Boss Forest Ranger Jeremy Oldroyd, Binghamton, NY
  Squad Boss Forest Ranger Robert Praczkajlo, Jay, NY
  Squad Boss Forest Ranger Charles Kabrehl, Chestertown, NY
  Forest Ranger Michael Bodnar, Cambridge, NY
  Forest Ranger Robert Piersma Jr., Ilion, NY
  DEC Volunteer Donald Nelson, Skaneateles, NY
  DEC Volunteer Matthew Manning, Ilion, NY
  DEC Volunteer James Canevari, Hermon, NY
  DEC Volunteer Dwight Partridge, Delmar, NY
  Forest Ranger Justin Thaine, Angelica, NY
  DEC Volunteer Joshua Borst, Schohari, NY
  DEC Volunteer Daniel Gaidasz, Sloansville, NY
  DEC Volunteer Steven Brown, Downville, NY
  DEC Volunteer Jerry Eaves, Lowville, NY
  Forest Ranger William Giraud, Cuyler, NY
  DEC Volunteer Nicholas VanDervossen, New Baltimore, NY
  DEC Volunteer Aaron Graves, Potsdam, NY
  DEC Volunteer Harry McDaniel, Sherburne, NY
  DEC Volunteer Christopher Sprague, Norwich, NY

DEC Contact at the scene will be Col. Andrew Jacob or Lt. John Solan