New Hampshire Conservation Officers Honored for Lifesaving Mountain Rescues and Service

CONCORD, New Hampshire — The New Hampshire Fish and Game Department’s Law Enforcement Division has recognized its 2025 conservation-officer honorees, including officers credited with lifesaving mountain rescues and long-running public service, according to a department release.

The awards included recognition for Lieutenant Mark Ober Jr., Conservation Officer Ryan Harris, Lieutenant Robert Mancini, Sergeant Christopher McKee, Conservation Officer James Cyrs, Conservation Officer Joseph Canfield, Conservation Officer Zachary Abrahamsson, Conservation Officer Josiah Towne and Colonel Kevin Jordan, the agency said.

Rescue work in dangerous winter conditions

NH Fish and Game said Ober, who began his career with the division in 2005, served on the Advanced Search and Rescue Team and was involved in two high-profile rescues on Mount Lafayette and Mount Washington in 2008. The agency said those missions took place in dangerous winter weather and that Ober’s team helped save five hikers during two separate missions.

“Mark has always gone above and beyond the call of duty in an effort to strengthen the vital relationships between our constituents and the Law Enforcement Division,” Law Enforcement Chief Colonel Kevin Jordan said, according to the release.

The agency said Mancini, McKee, Cyrs and Canfield received the Congressional Law Enforcement Unit Citation Award for a December 2024 Franconia Notch mission involving a hiker in severe winter conditions on Franconia Ridge. According to the release, the team worked through waist-deep snow, moved off trail and cut trees and brush to create a way to carry the hiker out.

“This hiker is alive today because of the unwavering commitment of this team to succeed under any and all circumstances,” Jordan said in the release.

A cliff descent to reach an injured hiker

NH Fish and Game said Abrahamsson received the department’s 2025 Life Saving Award after responding to an injured hiker on Mount Kilburn near Walpole. The agency said Abrahamsson descended a steep ledge without safety ropes to reach the hiker as daylight faded and information about the hiker’s location and injuries remained limited.

According to the release, Abrahamsson’s information helped facilitate an Army Air National Guard helicopter response to lift the hiker to safety.

“His efforts saved critical time, which is the reason this hiker survived this fall,” Jordan said in the agency release. “He would have lost his life had it not been for the heroic efforts of Conservation Officer Zachary Abrahamsson.”

Service awards beyond the rescue trail

The department also named Harris the 2025 Shikar-Safari International Wildlife Officer of the Year, citing his work in seacoast and District Four patrol areas. Towne received the Law Enforcement Division Command Staff Award of Excellence, and Jordan was honored with the Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies 2025 Guy Bradley Award recognizing outstanding lifetime service.

For community readers, the recognition is a reminder that conservation law enforcement often sits at the intersection of search and rescue, wildlife law, backcountry risk and everyday public service. The same officers who check trails, lakes, hunting seasons and fisheries may also be the people cutting a route through snow or climbing down a ledge when someone is running out of time.

Sources reviewed

• New Hampshire Fish and Game Department: New Hampshire Fish and Game Department Conservation Officers Honored

Editorial note: ThinBlueNews used the official agency release and official agency photo, avoided naming or identifying rescued hikers beyond the public source, and did not add medical details or claims beyond what NH Fish and Game reported.