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Most people you encounter by chance while in the field will
be quite friendly and very curious about what you are doing. Take a
moment and share with them what you are doing as this is a facet of good
leadership and public outreach. The people you are speaking
to will appreciate it,
and you may learn something about your field area. Even better, you
may be invited to lunch!
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Unfortunately, there are a small number of individuals and groups
that view any and all outsiders as intruders. Some of these
individuals/groups are involved in rather underhanded practices while others
have extreme views about legitimate governments or their rights as property owners.
Examples include:
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Unlawful combatants (rebel, guerilla or terrorist organizations).
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Hate groups.
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Some militia organizations.
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Pirates. (Yes, piracy really
does exist today!)
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Poachers.
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Drug farmers or manufactures.
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Citizens strongly opposed to
state/federal government activities.
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Professional kidnappers (common in
third
world countries).
Often, these groups/individuals may defend their "territory" from
intruders with deadly force. Their tactics include the use of
firearms, knives, hand-to-hand fighting, attack dogs and even
booby
traps. |
Encounters with hostiles are not unlike face-to-face encounters
with big game:
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Your "opponent" is very
aggressive and bent toward using physical force, and sometimes deadly
force
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Attempts at using reason and
negotiation are usually a waste of time and will often anger the
individual/group
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You are seen as an invader of
established territory whether you recognized it or not
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Often, your only choice is to
immediately vacate while leaving all of your equipment behind
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Your valuable equipment may be
ravaged
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If a fight erupts, fight back
and do NOT let them take you away!
Avoiding such encounters is the best option. If you do have an
unfriendly encounter, it is probably best just to leave the area quietly
without arguing or asserting your position no matter how official it might
be. Remember, you are a researcher, not a law man. |
| Sadly, there have been numerous deadly encounters between field
researchers and the above-listed groups. I personally know several
geologists who have been run off at gunpoint... some even from federal
land and a state park in Wisconsin. Of course, having a
field buddy will not prevent such situations,
it will just make things a little safer. The
better-informed you are about your field area, the better you will
be able to
manage problems of this nature. |
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