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State marine director, sheriff honor civilians and rescuers for Illinois River lifesaving
Summary
At the May 27 Josephine County Board of Commissioners meeting, the board and the Oregon State Marine Board recognized civilians and rescuers who located and helped extract Gabriel Vaughn after he separated from a rafting group near Greenwall Rapids on Feb. 16, 2026.
The Josephine County Board of Commissioners on May 27 recognized a group of civilians and emergency responders for their role in rescuing a man who became separated from his rafting party on the Illinois River in February.
Larry Warren, director of the Oregon State Marine Board, said the award “is in recognition of your actions in February 2026 to to rescue an individual who is missing on the Illinois River Valley.” Warren read the citation and named the people receiving awards on behalf of the state board.
Sheriff Daniels described the Feb. 16 incident, saying that Gabriel Vaughn became separated near Greenwall Rapids in a remote area of Josephine County. “Members of a private rafting…initiated a search in coordination with Josephine County Sheriff’s Office Search and Rescue and the United States Coast Guard,” the sheriff said, noting private rafters located Vaughn roughly two miles downstream and the Coast Guard helicopter transported him to the Oregon coast for medical care.
Warren praised the partnership of local sheriffs and volunteer rescuers and said that in many rural areas citizens play a primary role in helping one another. He listed the award recipients as: Erin Babcock (Gasket, California); Alex Azacy (Arcata, California); Nicole Smetegard (Jackson County, Oregon); Sean Bowen (Jackson County, Oregon); Andrew Morrisey (Hood River County, Oregon); Neil Guthrie (Humboldt County); Kelsey Barnes (White Salmon, Washington); Aaron Erdick (White Salmon, Washington); and Jonathan Vaughn (Tennessee).
Commissioners and presenters thanked the rescuers and highlighted the role of volunteer search-and-rescue in keeping rural communities safe. No formal board action was required as part of the presentation.
The board moved on to routine business after the presentations.
