Environment DEC
From the July 2009 issue
DEC Observes Anniversary of "Father" of Forest Rangers
Forest Ranger Captain Patrick Kilpeck highlights the impact William Fox had in forest protection
The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) held a ceremony in memory of William F. Fox, the "father" of the state's modern-day forest rangers, on the 100th anniversary of his death. Fox, a lieutenant colonel in the Civil War, became New York's "Superintendent of Forests" in 1891. He quickly concluded that the then-current fire patrol system--which used local ad hoc firefighters and firefighters who worked only when there were fire emergencies--couldn't handle the job of forest protection. He wanted a paid staff to cover the Adirondacks and Catskills.
Fox wrote a report to state leaders outlining how he'd organize the patrols. Each "fire warden" would live in a log cabin built in the woods near the center of a seven-miles-square township. He "would keep a sharp watch on any skulker who might be a possible incendiary." In effect, Fox wanted to shift the emphasis from reacting to fires after they began to patrolling the woods before that happened.
Despite Fox's advocacy, the state legislature did not act immediately. Meanwhile, towns became reluctant to enlist local firefighters because of costs. Then came massive fires in 1903 (500,000 acres burned in the Adirondacks) and 1908 (605 fires over 368,000 acres across the state), finally prompting elected officials to take action. In 1909, Gov. Charles E. Hughes signed legislation that brought sweeping changes to the Forest, Fish and Game law that included the creation of a fire patrol service in the Adirondacks and Catskills. Fox died shortly thereafter at age 69.
Further legislation followed, replacing the Forest, Fish and Game Commission with a "Conservation Commission" and creating the title "forest ranger" in 1912. Though Fox didn't live to see his vision fully carried out, he still is credited with being the father of the forest rangers. One hundred years later, DEC, which evolved from the Conservation Commission, now employs a statewide force of 134 uniformed forest rangers. Their mission of protecting the state's natural resources remains consistent with Colonel Fox's vision.
