One of the top New York State Forest Rangers died by suicide last week. David Cornell was 52 years old and was serving as an Assistant Director in Albany. His death comes a little over a year after another top forest ranger died by suicide.
Cornell, who was born in Syracuse in 1971, began his career as a forest ranger in 2000. He graduated from the academy with about a dozen other rangers, including Rob Praczkajlo, who now works in the Adirondacks.
“Dave was just a super quiet, calm guy," said Praczkajlo. "He was a really good field ranger.”
For most of his career, Cornell worked in the DEC’s Region 6, which includes St. Lawrence, Jefferson, Lewis, Oneida, and Herkimer counties. Before he became a ranger, Cornell served as an airplane mechanic in the Marines. He used that skill to serve as a Helicopter Hoist Operator as a ranger.
Cornell died by suicide on Friday. In a statement, DEC Commissioner Basil Seggos said he and the entire department is "mourning the sudden and tragic passing," of Cornell.
"Over the course of more than two decades with DEC," Seggos said in a statement, "Colonel Cornell’s passion for protecting the environment and New Yorkers was unmatched, including his work helping to lead the Division of Forest Protection through the pandemic. He exemplified DEC Forest Rangers’ high standard of professional excellence."
John Solan, the director of Forest Protection Director, described Cornell as a "tireless leader" for the division.
"Even when things were at their most chaotic, David was a calming force who always seemed to know exactly what to do. We worked so closely, I rarely had to give him direction. He sensed what I needed, and before I knew it, the issue of the moment was taken care of and we were on to the next one. I will miss his professionalism, and more importantly his friendship, more than he’ll ever know," Solan wrote in a statement.
Cornell was awarded a Liberty Medal in 2018 by New York State for helping save a motorcycle crash victim. Praczkajlo said it was one of many strong and heroic acts during Cornell's career and said he was surprised when he heard of his suicide last week.
“I immediately was shocked by that news, especially for somebody who always seemed to be very calm and collected and then the next thought that came to my mind was, ‘Who’s next? Who’s out there that needs help and isn’t asking for it?’”
Cornell’s suicide comes a little over a year after another top-ranking ranger died by suicide. Captain Chris Kostoss had been a forest ranger for 23 years, working in the Adirondacks.
At the time, Kostoss’s suicide sparked a renewed focus on mental health for rangers. Praczkajlo said the job is stressful and can often involve the mental health struggles of other people.
“People committing suicide on state land, overdosing, mental health folks that are out there, and then just all the accidental deaths and rescues that we do in the mountains-all that sort of accumulates," said Praczkajlo.
Rangers do have access to mental health support. Praczkajlo said he takes advantage of counseling on and off and rangers try to provide emotional support to one another. The most recent ranger academy also had an embedded mental health team for the first time.
The work of forest rangers does involve some intensely happy , even euphoric moments when they complete a successful search or rescue. Praczkajlo said those moments help balance out the tougher times.
“You just hope that at any given time you have enough good rescues and searches and firefighting and law enforcement stuff that makes you feel good about what you’re doing, but there are definitely dark times for a while.”
In a statement on Tuesday, the DEC said it’s making emotional support resources available to all employees after Cornell’s suicide. According to his obituary, Cornell is survived by his wife, two sons, his parents and additional extended family members.
If you or someone you know is in need of mental health assistance, please know help is available. The New York State Office of Mental Health has resources on its website (https://omh.ny.gov/omhweb/bootstrap/crisis.html) or you can call the National Suicide and Crisis Lifeline at 988.
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