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.