Situational Awareness and the Art of Moving

I've decided that moving is a real pain.  My relocation has now stretched out over five weeks and I’m still not finished.  Like a bad piece of possum meat, it gets bigger the longer you chew on it.

Today, I went down to move my dog kennels.  They came down pretty easily and I stacked them on my trailer for transport.  In spite of a slight drizzle, it all went well.  Then I started back up the mountain – truck and trailer in tow.

I bought my truck back in high school.  It has carried me many places I would like to revisit and hauled around many great friends.  Ole Blue still looks pretty good for a 1978 model, but it is struggling mechanically.  I hold my breath any time it gets in a strain.  The trailer was built by my dad about 30 years ago.  It is functional, but not very easy on the eyes.  It doesn't have taillights or a license plate.

Lamont Sanford
www.tv.intros.com

The 10x6 feet panels wouldn't lay flat in the trailer, so using good old fashion game warden innovation, I placed them on top of the side planks and “secured” them with a mismatched set of ratchet straps and parachute cord.  There may be many things a game warden will be caught without, but parachute cord isn't one of them.  Between the load on the trailer and junk on the truck, I gave off a strong, “Sanford and Son” vibe.  Over the years I have seen much furniture scattered in bits and pieces along the highway.  So, I kept a close watch on those panels as they shifted and settled.

As I watched my load in the rearview mirror, I noticed a car that was following me very closely.  My concerns were twofold.  First, I wasn't 100% certain that the panels were stable (a couple in the middle of the stack were already shifting).  Second, I would be turning right in a few minutes, and I was certain they couldn't see the turn signal on my truck.

www.paultarver.com

"Situation awareness is the perception of environmental elements with respect to time and/or space, the comprehension of their meaning, and the projection of their status after some variable has changed, such as time, or some other variable, such as a predetermined event" (wikipedia.org).  In law enforcement training, situational awareness is sometimes referred to as “If/then” thinking.  In other words, “if” this happens, “then” I will respond in this manner.

But, situational awareness has even broader implications for leaders.  Leaders often have to quickly assess a situation with incomplete data and little time to analyze the data they have in hand.  General Colin Powell summed it up by saying, “Use the formula P=40 to 70, in which P stands for the probability of success and the numbers indicate the percentage of information acquired. Once the information is in the 40 to 70 range, go with your gut.”  I have a friend that ranks situational awareness (political, social, tactical, etc.) as one of the most desired traits when considering promotions to their agency’s leadership ranks.

So, how do we improve our situational awareness?  Time and distance (space) are our biggest friends.  The more time we can utilize and the more space we have to operate from increases our chances of correctly assessing a situation.  Then, over time, we can learn act quicker and in tighter spots.

It doesn't take much of this type of awareness to realize that when one falls in behind a Fred Sanford’s pickup with nine kennels panels on a clunker trailer to think, “That crap looks like it might fall off – let me back off a little.”  But far too many people blindly trust that nothing bad can possibly happen to them.  Then, when a panel cartwheels their way, they can’t believe they were so unfortunate.

A Change in Perspective

I made the trek down the mountain this week to do some shopping.  At least that was part of the reason for the trip.  Mostly, I wanted to get out and ride for a while.  So, I dropped off the escarpment to Elkin.

The trip down and back up the escarpment is awe inspiring.  There is a 1500 feet change in elevation over a few short miles, and another 500 feet drop from there to Elkin.  2000 feet doesn't sound like much change, but in the spring and fall the difference in the appearance of the landscape can be striking.

At the foot of Bullhead, the few leaves that are out (mostly maples) are about the size of a squirrel’s ear - small, pale leaflets that are nearly transparent.  On other trees, the buds are swelling, giving a tinge of color to gray woods.

But down the mountain, it is spring and moving rapidly toward summer.  The trees have leafed out and the azaleas are in full bloom.  A fog of pollen drifts about with the slightest breeze.  Most people have mowed their lawns multiple times by now, and some are planting corn and beans in their gardens.

I would not suggest that these are huge differences.  The daytime temperatures are not that far apart though at night it does drop more in the shadow of the mountain.  But drive west to Grayson Highlands and add another 1000 feet of elevation, or east to Raleigh and drop another 600 feet, and the differences become even more pronounced.  The elevation may change one’s perception of the season.

We often hear people talk of having a “high altitude” view of an issue.  My favorite is the 30,000 feet view.  When those words are spoken there seems to be an assumption that from that vantage point, we will have absolute clarity with the issue.  However, I have noticed when flying that often as not, clouds obscure the view from 30,000 feet.  And once I can see clearly, I still have a difficult time determining exactly where I am at from that altitude.

The Hangover - Joyce Kilmer Memorial Forest
www.trailspace.com

I recall a late afternoon during the hunting season when I was stationed in Graham County.  U.S. Forest Service officer Russ Arthur wanted to hike into the back country to check a couple of hunting camps.  It was too late to begin the six mile hike, but we went anyway – young and dumb.  It gets dark earlier in the woods and within an hour and a half we were walking with flashlights.  We worked our way out to the Hangover for a spectacular night view of the Slickrock Wilderness Area.  We could see the city lights of Knoxville, Tennessee, 75 miles to the north, and planes leaving the airport just south of Knoxville.  I had been to the Hangover on several occasions, but never at night.  It was breathtaking.

If those physical acts can impact our perspectives on known locations, how much more can we grow by actively listening to the opposing viewpoints of others?  There is great value in asking simple questions such as: “That is an interesting view.  Why do you take that position?” or “I’m not sure that I agree with you, but I would like to hear more of your thoughts on the subject.”

I am not espousing situational ethics or advocating that we compromise our values. However, the willingness to view view life from a slightly different perspective helps give texture to the view of our surroundings and depth to our opinions.  Without a trip down to Wal-Mart this week, I would have told anyone who asked that spring was still a couple of weeks away.  If anyone had said to me that planes could be seen leaving the airport in Knoxville from the Hangover, I would have strongly disagreed until I saw it on that night hike. 

A limited or closed-minded perspective leads to a small worldview.  Bigots grow from ethnocentrism.  The next thing you know, I am the only person who is right.

The Future of Hunting

www.ncwildlife.org

Will there be hunting in the future?  More specifically, will there be hunters?  The number of licensed hunters in North Carolina has been somewhat steady although they are in an overall decline.  According to a North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission (NCWRC) blog entry from 2012, the number of licensed hunters decreased from 270,091 in 2006 to 253,712 in 2010.  This is just over a 9% drop during this five year period.  During this same five year span the overall population of North Carolina increased from 8,890,380 to 9,574,477, a numerical increase of 684,097 or 9.2%.  It is an alarming trend. 

Can this trend be reversed?  As the population increases, it speeds the loss of huntable areas.  According to a 2007 agricultural census, North Carolina lost 970,000 acres of farmland from 1997-2007 - a rate of almost 100,000 acres a year.  North Carolina is becoming increasingly urban.

And how about those that do hunt?  The typical hunter is a middle-aged white male.  Those of us who spend time in contact with hunters can see that he is getting older.  We snap photos of the few kids we see hunting as though they are a rare species.

So, what do we do?  The loss of revenue alone for the NCWRC from 2006-2010 equals $245,685.  Do we continue to pitch hunting through the same programs and outlets as the numbers decline?  Do we fly the plane into the ground as the cockpit voice screams, “Terrain, terrain!!!”  Or do we take a look at who we are not reaching?

www.archerytalk.com

The same NCWRC blog mentioned above shows a noticeable increase in the number of licensed female hunters.  Statistically, the increase is significant – 24% over teh five year period.  The blog credits the Becoming an Outdoors Woman (BOW) program with some of this increase.  This is a great program, but are we just scratching the surface?  In her book Call of the Mild Lily Raff McCaulou describes some of her difficulties breaking into hunting – a predominantly male activity.  The NCWRC recently offered hunter education courses geared toward females that were well received and attended.   TV hosts such as Eva Shockey (right) have shown that the hunting shows are reaching out to a more diverse audience.  

The North Carolina Hispanic population grew 111% from 2000-2010 and now makes up 8.4% of North Carolina’s overall population.  Can we recruit new hunters from this demographic group?  We often hear that hunting regulations are complex and difficult to understand.  How much more difficult is it when English is your second language and the hunting regulations are only printed in English?

And finally, are we truly reaching out to the 18-34 years of age group?  How about those locavores who are committed to eating locally grow food or the homesteaders who are trying to simplify their lives?  The young family who wants to do things together are looking for activities in a structured environment, can we make hunting an option for their limited free time?  

These are adaptive issues that will require experimentation to find the right solutions.  A question that we seem to avoid is whether established hunters are truly open to new hunters who may not look like them, talk like them, or dress like them?  And is there even room for more hunters?  Maybe even more important is that those who are in positions of authority and can address these issues are middle-aged white males who may assume that the world shares their view of this problem.

Left or Right-wing Extremists: The Bellowing Giants

If there is one Biblical story that has captured the imaginations of generations of Christians, Jews and even the nonreligious, it is the account of David and Goliath.  The story is often used to illustrate how an underdog can overcome a more powerful, conditioned, and skilled foe.  We like to associate our struggles against overwhelming odds with the young shepherd with a sling and stone, facing down a battle-clad giant.  “If David can win, so can we” becomes locker room speech.  But, as Malcolm Gladwell writes about in his book, David and Goliath: Underdogs, Misfits, and the Art of Battling Giants and discusses here during a TedTalk, David may not have been such an underdog, and Goliath may not have had as strong of advantage as we sometimes think.

Imagine being a soldier in the army of Israel.  For 40 days, morning and evening, Goliath taunted the army.  80 times they had heard Goliath and each time they were left “dismayed and terrified.”  There was surely some brash, guy talk of taking on the giant, but it had never gotten to the action stage.  I can hear murmurs of, “Someone should do something.”  But, for 40 days no one did anything.

Regardless of the circumstances, it is easy for us to relate to David.  How many times have we stepped onto the field of “battle” and felt we were at a disadvantage?  Even though we may be competent with our “sling and five stones” and have a proven record of success against bears and lions, a giant is still intimidating.

The radicals at the extreme political left and right have taken a cue from Goliath, bellowing taunts across the valley floor.  Is it me, but does everyone on Fox News seem to be yelling and those on National Public Radio (NPR) speak in an exasperated tone?  Both extremes seem determined to communicate how appalled and outraged they find themselves.

But, is there substance to the appalled and outraged “Goliaths” or do they resort to hyperbole simply to pull us closer to their position?  Does every government assistance program truly undermine the work ethic of America?  Do common sense statutes and rules about firearm ownership and possession mean that we have just climbed on the slip and slide and are careening toward the government kicking down the door to take our guns?  Will bans on high capacity magazines have any impact on what some repeatedly refer to as “gun violence?”  Should we function as the world’s police force or stick with issues here in the U.S.?

So, these “Goliaths” walk down to the valley floor day after day, with the taunt of “I dare you to take me on.”  They shore up their taunts with labels.  To defy them makes one a liberal, a conservative; un-American, a patriot; a right or a left-winger.  In the Biblical account, Goliath was led onto the field by his armor bearer.  The modern Goliaths scream out their threats and all their little minions begin to flood the inboxes of their target with prewritten emails. 

Those of us in the conservation and law enforcement field spend a great deal of resources dealing with these self-proclaimed giants.  I recall a meeting with a legislator about reports from his constituents concerning wildlife officers patrolling a lake in his district.  These callers were affluent, influential people in a gated community who felt that they should be left alone to do as they pleased.  The legislator’s final words to me were, “I want the phone calls to stop.  I don’t care what you do or how you do it, but I want the calls to stop.”  He was tired of hearing the giants’ taunts.

Whether Gladwell is correct in his assessment of Goliath’s medical condition and David’s skills made him less of an underdog than some think, or if we view David as divinely ordained to slay the Philistine to elevate him to a position of leadership in Israel; the giant still fell.  Not only did he fall, seeing their champion dead, all Philistines turned and ran.  All it took was a shepherd delivering food to his brothers to say, “Let no one lose heart on account of this Philistine; your servant will go and fight him.”

David saw an opening that left Goliath vulnerable to attack, a small gap in the armor on his helmet.  Instead of being paralyzed to the point of inaction, we should be looking for those gaps and exploit them.  David moved forward in a spirit of righteousness so we should always question our motives for taking on giants.

I hope you will forgive a little reading between the lines, but I like to think that just before letting loose that stone, David switched to the King James English and told Goliath, “And now I shall kick thine ass.”  We have all wanted to say that many times.  Maybe it is time that we (figuratively) do just that.

Roosevelt and Muir: Camping out a Solution

I am an introvert in the truest sense of the word.  I am the happiest when I am working alone or in a very small group.  I can operate outside those parameters, speaking in public or leading a class, however, it is physically, mentally and emotionally exhausting.

But, over the course of my career I learned that Aristotle's quote, “The whole is greater than the sum of its parts,” is true.  In even the most diverse group, if we continue to raise our perspective and point of view, we will ultimately find commonality.  Then, working together we can accomplish great things.

The photo below is one of my favorites.  I had a framed copy in my office and now it is in my home office.  On the surface these two men could not have been more different.  Theodore Roosevelt was a world traveler, an adventurer, a politician and president of the United States, New York City police commissioner, soldier, big game hunter and cowboy (the list goes on and on).  He was one of the original founders of the Boone and Crockett Club, a group of hunters that fueled the early the wildlife conservation movement.

John Muir seems to be the complete opposite of Roosevelt.  Muir fled to Canada in 1864 to avoid being drafted into the Union Army during the American Civil War.  He had a keen interest in botany and all things in the natural world. He helped co-found the Sierra Club with the goal of preserving of our wild places.

Roosevelt and Muir met in Oakland, California in 1903 and rode to Yosemite.  They hiked into the backcountry, sleeping under the stars where they discussed the mismanagement of the park by the state.  Even though they held different philosophical views in many areas, they agreed that Yosemite should be preserved under federal control and management.

These types of joint efforts still occur today.  Individuals work locally on small tracts of land or join with others in groups such as the National Wildlife Turkey Federation, Ducks Unlimited or the National Audubon Society.  Privately funded conservancy groups purchase land that is turned over to various governmental agencies for both preservation and conservation focused management of our natural resources.  Federal and state organizations work together to maximize their resources.  Working together the efforts of the whole becomes greater than the sum of its parts.

Unfortunately, we sometimes lose focus on the higher goal.  Recently, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) has taken the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission (NCWRC) to court over The Possum Drop, a New Year’s Eve festivity held in the mountains of southwestern North Carolina.  PETA is concerned that the opossum may be traumatized.  In 2013, a judge ruled the NCWRC reimburse PETA’s attorney fees of $74,446 for their previous challenge of the Possum Drop.  PETA is once again filing suit challenging the NCWRC’s ability to issue a captivity license for this event after the N.C. General Assembly clarified the statute  allowing the issuance of the license.

PETA and the NCWRC may be as different as Roosevelt and Muir.  One organization promotes hunting and fishing as a means to conserving and managing the state’s wildlife resources while the other views animals as having the rights of humans.  That seems to be a wide chasm to cross.  However, if Roosevelt, the Rough Rider war hero and world traveling big game hunter, can find common ground with Muir, the pacifist botanist, surely these two groups can find a spot where their missions intersect and allows our wildlife is managed in a way that considers all biological, social, political and economic factors.

What if the attorneys stepped aside (and took their $400 an hour fees with them) and we let those with the ability to initiate change work together to find a resolution?  What if special interest groups took a holistic approach instead of one designed to fill the coffers?  I would venture a guess that Roosevelt and Muir talked less about their differences and focused on their mutually desired outcomes.  Maybe our leaders should consider a long hike into the backcountry and a discussion around a campfire under the stars.

Retirement: Change is a Coming

It has been six weeks since a major life event – retirement.  Retiring was an odd sensation.  For almost 29 years I had put on the exact same uniform (well, not the same uniform – most of my early ones “shrunk” or wore out), strapped on a pistol and walked out the door to enforce the game and fish laws.  I did that for all those years right up until the last Friday, February 28^th, and then on Saturday, March 1st, it was all over.

The past six weeks have been disorienting.  I recently thought back to my recruit training in 1985.  I had never been away from home for any length of time except for short vacations.  I had spent the previous five years fixing banged up cars and trucks.  Within a few shorts hours of beginning recruit school, I discovered that a wildlife officer recruit’s day begins at 5:30 a.m., and that 5:30 a.m. is to be expressed as 0530.  I found that I was expected to memorize legal definitions and learn the basics of constitutional law.  And then, there was studying “after hours.”  The days were 12 hours long or more and within a short period of time I was mentally and physically exhausted.  It was all very unsettling. 

But, over years as I spent time instructing recruits, I came to realize there was truly a method to the structure of the training.  To mold individuals into something new requires making them uncomfortable and stripping away the familiar.  In 1985 that meant taking a redneck bodyman from a mill town and transforming him into a wildlife officer.  The past six weeks have shown it takes a while to reverse that process and help a law enforcement officer revert back to a private citizen. 

Most people say that they dislike change.  But, it isn't change that we hate.  What we dislike is the pain involved in the process of changing.  Some of the past six weeks has been painful and extremely disorienting.  I have moved from an urban environment to one in which I can see the stars again – the nighttime quiet is a little unsettling.  I spent several hours yesterday trying to find one small item packed away in one of 30 boxes.  One day last week I woke up in the middle of the night, confused about my location.

But, I understand the process.  The disorientation and frustration are required to help me move along to the next stage of life.  It is actually very exciting.