Orleans Parish resident rescued from wooded area near Belle Chasse

Posted February 5th, 2010

Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries (LDWF) Enforcement Division agents rescued an Orleans Parish woman from a wooded area known as Woodland Trails located in Plaquemines Parish on Wednesday, Feb. 3.

Connie Dunn, an LDWF Administrative Program Specialist in the Coastal and Nongame Resources Division received a phone call from Nancy Biver, 39, on her cell phone stating she was lost near the Woodland Trails and needed help. Dunn, a 30-year LDWF employee reported the call to LDWF Secretary Robert Barham who then relayed the information to Col. Winton Vidrine, LDWF’s Law Enforcement Division Administrator.

Col. Vidrine notified LDWF agents in the area who immediately responded to the location. After a short search, Senior Agent Villere Reggio was able to locate Biver and escort her to safety. Biver stated she had been walking in the wooded area for over three hours and during this time became disoriented and unable to locate the trailhead. Woodland Trails has miles of nature trails frequently utilized by nature observers.

According to Agent Reggio, this situation was successfully resolved within a half hour due to the fact Biver carried her cell phone while adventuring out alone enabling her to stay in constant contact with her rescuers.

Agents participating in the rescue were Sgts. Scot Keller and Herman Champagne and Senior Agents Villere Reggio and Tim Fox.