205 W 5th Ave Ellensburg, WA 98926-2887
Monday - Friday 8 AM - 5 PM
Kittitas (pronounced 'KITT-i-tass') County is located in central Washington State. It spans from the lush forested Cascade Mountains to the upper Yakima River Valley plains and the Columbia River.
Kittitas County, WA - 08/18/2016 - A 17 yoa female with complicating conditions working with a Northwest Youth Trail Crew that was working in the Lost Lake area of the Manastash became separated from her trail crew on August 17, 2016.
Efforts were made by the trail crew members of the Northwest Youth Trail Crew, but by 1930 she had not been located. They called the US Forest Service on their radio to seek help. Kittitas County Sheriff’s Office Search and Rescue Coordinator’s and KCSR Volunteer SAR teams responded and searched throughout the night. On the morning of August 18th more teams from KCSR arrived, as well as responses from Pierce County, King County, Snohomish County, and Yakima County SAR teams. Chelan County Sheriff’s Office sent their helicopter to assist with the search as well. The USFS had over 20 personnel to assist. Ground teams, K9 teams, horse teams, and ATV teams were all utilized in the search. Around 1430 hours, on August 18th, the female was spotted by one of the KCSR Volunteers after she walked out of the woods near the Manastash Lake Trail between Lost Lake and Manastash Lake. She was uninjured and reunited with family and friends. It was a great response from multiple jurisdictions. The Washington State Dept. of Emergency Management was instrumental in locating the additional resources to respond to this incident. The majority of the searchers were volunteers from KCSR and the above mentioned counties.
Kittitas County, from the Cascades to the Columbia, and online at http://www.co.kittitas.wa.us
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Contact: Darren Higashiyama, Commander, (509) 933-8206