TRR photo by David Hulse (Click for larger image)

First river rescue of the season

POND EDDY — National Park Service (NPS) Ranger Cliff Daniels is pictured talking with four New York City boaters on May 4, after the man pictured at the right was stranded upon and rescued from an eel weir above Stair Step Rapids.

Connie Elder, 18, of Port Jervis, made a 911 call after she and her mother Irene Elder, driving by on Route 97, saw the group in trouble. NPS rangers, the Sullivan County Sheriff’s Department, Lumberland firefighters and rescue personnel all responded to the 3:12 p.m. incident.

Daniels credited the younger Elder with providing clear directions that helped provide a quicker response and avoided injuries.

The rescued man, who declined comment about the incident, also declined any medical treatment, saying that only his dignity had been injured.